The Art of Rhetoric
Introduction to Rhetorical
Strategies
What is Rhetoric?
Rhetoric is the study of writing or
speaking as a means of
communication or persuasion.
• The ability to use language effectively
• The ability to create appeal
• The creation of a unique style of
writing
• Analysis of WHAT a text means and
HOW it means
Aristotle’s Three Appeals
•
ETHOS: credible speaker
•
PATHOS: emotion evoked in
audience
– WHO gives the speech?
– Does the audience find the
speaker believable or
credible?
– Does the speaker have
confidence and poise?
Text
(Logos)
– HOW is it spoken and
written
– Does it make the audience
feel sympathy, empathy,
concern, etc.?
• LOGOS: reasons and logic
– WHAT is in it?
– Does the content achieve
its purpose?
RHETORIC
Audience
(Pathos)
Author
(Ethos)
A Breakdown of Judges’ Criteria
• Ethos: Confidence and Poise
– Professional appearance and genial personality
• Pathos: Delivery and Presentation
– Strong voice, volume, clear pronunciation, gestures,
eye contact, sincerity, emphasis
– Use of poignant and emotional words
• Logos: Content of Speech
– Subject Adherence, Theme, Logic, Content, Color
Rhetorical Devices and
Techniques
for enhancing your speech
Emotional Language
Use references to the past
– Allusions
– Spark memories of the past/history (not personal), as
related to your speech, for the audience
Use poignant language, or words that arouse
specific and strong feelings/emotions in the
audience
– America, patriotism, love, freedom, religion, etc.
Inclusive Language
Use of pronouns such as we, our, us, etc. to
help audience relate to you.
“We Democrats — we think the country works
better with a strong middle class…”
“My fellow Americans, if that is what you want,
if that is what you believe, you must vote and
you must re-elect President Barack Obama.”
-Former President Bill Clinton
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the
beginning of two or more successive phrases,
clauses, or lines.
“I want to nominate a man who’s cool on the
outside.”
“I want a man who believes with no doubt that
we can build a new American Dream
economy…”
“I want a man who had the good sense to marry
Michelle Obama.”
“I want Barack Obama to be the next president
of the United States.”
-Former President Bill Clinton
Repetition
A word or phrase used two or
more times in close proximity.
“Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had
commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu,
the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his
colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal
reply to a recent American message. And while this
reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the
existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or
hint of war or of armed attack.”
-FDR “Pearl Harbor Speech”
Parallelism
Emphasizing equal value of two or more ideas by
expressing them in the same grammatical form.
Arrangement of words, phrases, clauses placed side
by side, making them similar in form.
“My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us,
grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices
borne by our ancestors.”
-President Barack Obama
“With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to
struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom
together, knowing that we will be free one day.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
Alliteration
The repetition of a sound in the first syllable of
each phrase of group of words.
"This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines,
and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in the time of
certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force
that the world has ever known. They have served tour
after tour of duty in distant, different, and difficult
places...”
-President Barack Obama
Anadiplosis
The last word or phrase is repeated
to begin the next.
“Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to
hate. Hate leads to suffering.” –
Yoda
Anastrophe
Inversion of normal word order.
“Ask not…”
-JFK
“Ready are you?” Yoda
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds in nonrhyming words.
“Hear the mellow wedding bells”
-Edgar Allen Poe
“The crumbling thunder of seas”
-Robert Louis Stevenson
Consonance
Repetition of consonant sounds
within words or ending words.
Ralegh has backed the maid to a tree
As Ireland is back to England
And drives inland
Till all her strands are breathless.
- “Ocean’s Love to Ireland”- Seamus Heaney
Rhetorical Question
A question that doesn’t require an
answer– often used to initiate a call to
action
“Can we forge against these enemies a grand
and global alliance, North and South, East
and West, that can assure a more fruitful life
for all mankind? Will you join in that historic
effort?”
–JFK Inaugural Address
Other Devices
•
•
•
•
•
allusion
metonymy
synecdoche
motif
figurative language
– metaphor, simile, hyperbole,
idiom, personification
The Six Traits of Writing
Keep these in mind:
• Content and Ideas: does it stick to the topic and have concrete
examples?
• Organization: does it have a logical order?
• Syntax/Sentence Fluency: do the sentences flow well?
• Word Choice: is the word choice strong?
• Style and Voice: can we see your personality come through in
your writing?
•
• Grammar and Mechanics: is it written in a way which
conforms to the standards and rules of the English language?