A Look at Rhetoric
From the past to the present
Classical Definition
• Rhetoric is the “art of enchanting the soul.” –
Plato
Classical Definition
• Rhetoric is “the
faculty of discovering
in any particular case
all of the available
means of
persuasion.” –
Aristotle
• “The duty and office
of rhetoric is to apply
reason to imagination
for the better moving
of the will.” – Francis
Bacon
• “Not until human nature is other than what it is,
will the function of the living voice—the greatest
force on earth among men—cease…I advocate,
therefore, in its full extent, and for every reason
of humanity, of patriotism, and of religion, a more
thorough culture of oratory and I define oratory
to be the art of influencing conduct with the truth
set home by all the resources of the living man.”
– Henry Ward Beecher
• “Rhetoric is a form of
reasoning about
probabilities, based
on assumptions
people share as
members of a
community.” – Erika
Lindemann
Modern Definition
• “Rhetoric is a concern for the audience
manifested in the situation and form of
communication. Concern for the audience
can involve the desire to persuade, teach,
move, please, identify, or generally
connect with the audience. Situation and
form involve the rhetorical situation
(funeral, educational, legal, etc.) and
applying the correct form to address that
particular audience.” – Killingsworth
The Rhetorical Triangle
• Sometimes called the
Aristotelian triad -suggests that a
person creating or
analyzing a text must
consider the
following:
speaker or
writer
Who? Is this
person trustworthy?
audience or
reader
subject
Who? Is it
easily
influenced?
What is
this
about?
Speaker
• Who is the speaker?
• What is his/her purpose?
• Is the speaker trustworthy? Credible? Famous?
Educated?
Audience
• What assumptions can be made about it?
• What shared experiences do the members
have?
• What appeals will work on it?
Subject
• Is it an “open” one that not everyone agrees
upon?
• Does it make listeners/readers perk up and
think, “Now, this is interesting”?
Aristotle’s Appeals
• General summary – The goal of argumentative
writing/speaking is to persuade your audience
that your ideas are valid, or more valid than
someone else’s.
Ethos
• Credibility or ethical
appeal – we tend to
believe people whom
we respect.
• A person with a
powerful ethos gives
listeners the
impression that
he/she is worth
listening to.
Pathos
• Emotional appeal –
persuades by
appealing to the
audience’s emotions
(think sympathy or
empathy).
• Word choice can be
used to enhance the
argument (think
destitute, threadbare,
homeless).
Logos
• Logical appeal –
persuades by the use
of reasoning, both
inductive and
deductive.
• Gives reasons to
support the heart of
argumentation.
Think Back
• Can you think of a person in history or real
life with a strong ethos?
• Can you think of a person who moved you
with his/her pathos?
• Can you think of someone who persuaded
you with his/her logos?
Rhetoric is all around us!