RHETORIC
An introduction to very basics
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
• Objective: TSWBAT analyze the definition of rhetoric and
apply these devices to their own work.
• Warm Up: Define rhetoric in your own words. Why do you
think this is something we should study. Who does it affect
more, the reader or the writer?
RHETORIC
• Rhetoric is the art of writing and
speaking to effectively.
Audience
• It is often thought of with the
Rhetorical Triangle:
Speaker
Subject
STEPS IN ANALYZING THE RHETORIC AND
LANGUAGE OF A WRITING SELECTION:
1. Identify the subject, audience, and speaker.
2. Connect the audience, speaker, and subject to the author’s purpose.
3. Examine the selection for strategies and techniques the author uses to achieve his
purpose.
4. Clarify the effects of the use of the strategies, and how those effects contribute to
the author’s purpose.
TERMS TO KNOW
• Claim
• The main idea the speaker is trying to communicate
• Sort of like a Thesis Statement
• Support
• Any information that helps prove the claim is true
• This is where information is cited, comparisons are made, and the reasoning is explained
• Diction
• Most simply, it means word choice
• This can GREATLY affect how an argument is perceived by the audience
• Syntax
• Order of words and structure of sentences
• Different types of sentences or sentence patterns can affect the way the audience reacts to the
argument
MORE TERMS TO KNOW
• Rhetorical Appeal
• The persuasive approach the speaker uses
• These can be based on Logic, Emotion, or Authority
• Most speakers can and should use more than one
• Rhetorical Device
• Specific techniques that make argumentation more effective
• They can influence how the audience thinks or feels about the claim or support
THE RHETORICAL APPEALS
LOGOS
• logical argument
• appeal to reason or logic
• frequently includes the use of data, statistics, math,
research, order, and "objectivity."
PATHOS
• An Emotional Appeal
• Appeal to human emotions (such as desire,
passion, or patriotism) within the audience/reader
• Includes considerations of the values and beliefs in
the audience that will ultimately move them to
action.
ETHOS
•
Ethos refers to the character or authority of the
speaker/writer. As an audience, our perception of the
speaker/writer's ethos is what leads us to trust him or her.
•
It involves the trustworthiness and credibility of the
speaker/writer
•
Is the speaker/writer dependable? Is he or she
knowledgeable? Can we trust him or her?
NAME THAT APPEAL:
• Watch the following ads. Identify the Rhetorical Situation and list examples of the
rhetorical appeals that are present:
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YyvOGKu6ds&feature=related
RHETORICAL DEVICES
ALLITERATION
• Alliteration is the repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of
sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables of a phrase.
• The repetition of sounds makes the writing more engaging, moving,
and memorable.
• Repeating vowel sounds is known as assonance; repeating consonant
sounds is known as consonance
• EXAMPLE:
• "We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are
created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears
through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…” – Barack Obama
ALLUSION
• An allusion is a brief, usually indirect, reference to a famous historical
event, literary figure, biblical event, cultural phenomenon, etc.
• This helps the speaker or reader to quickly tap into the ideas an
emotions associated with another event, story, or idea.
• EXAMPLE:
• Fluffy, the three-headed dog in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,
is an allusion to the mythological creature Cerberus in Greek mythology, who
was a three-headed dog that guarded the Underworld. Also, like Fluffy, the Greek
hero Orpheus put Fluffy to sleep by playing music on his lyre, just like Quirrel did
in the book. Also, Hagrid claims he bought Fluffy from a Greek man, which just
further alludes to the myth.
ANAPHORA
• Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the
beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.
• This can lead the audience to see connections between
ideas that might not otherwise be obvious, or to help repeat
and draw attention to an important idea.
• EXAMPLE
• "We shall fight in the trenches. We shall fight on the oceans. We shall
fight in the sky.“ – Winston Churchill
EUPHEMISM
• A euphemism is a substitution of a more pleasant expression
for one whose meaning may come across as rude or
offensive.
• A speaker using a euphemism shows how he or she regards
the reader.
• EXAMPLE:
• Saying that someone “passed away” rather than “he died”
HYPERBOLE
• Hyperbole is exaggeration for rhetorical effect.
• The opposite of an understatement.
• EXAMPLE:
• “I died laughing”
PARALLELISM
• Parallelism is similarity of structure in a pair or series of related
words, phrases, or clauses.
• Also called Parallel Structure.
• It promotes clarity and balance, which tends to be more concise
and effective.
• EXAMPLE:
• "But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty
stream.“ - Amos
*This is a type of repetition
RHETORICAL QUESTION
• A rhetorical question is one posed for emphasis, not
requiring an answer.
• This is used to draw the audience’s attention to a particular
point.
• EXAMPLE
• Posing the question "Can't you do anything right?" is intended not
to ask about the listener's abilities, but rather to insinuate a lack of
the listener's abilities.
UNDERSTATEMENT
• An understatement deliberately de-emphasizes something
in order to downplay its importance.
• Opposite of hyperbole.
• EXAMPLE:
• To say that cell phones changed communication is an
understatement.
VERBAL IRONY
• Verbal irony is an expression in which words mean
something contrary to what is actually said.
• Sarcasm
• EXAMPLE:
• Calling someone a genius after making a mistake.
• NOTE: There are two other forms of irony that we will discuss this year: Situational
and Dramatic
A QUICK NOTE ON COMPARING AND
CONTRASTING…
• Writers will often use three tools for comparing and contrasting two
different things:
• Juxtaposition is the acts of placing two things (often abstract ideas) next to one
another, usually for the purpose of comparing or contrasting their qualities.
• EXAMPLE: Describing the daily routines of a custodian and an investment banker in
order to show the differences in their lives.
• A Simile is a comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as”
• EXAMPLE: “He’s dumb as a brick.”
• A metaphor is the same thing as a simile, but without the “like” or “as”
• EXAMPLE: “Men are pigs.”
• All of these are used to get the reader to see the connection between
two ideas that may not be immediately obvious.
VOCAB SO FAR
1. Rhetoric
9. Alliteration
17. Verbal Irony
2. Claim
10. Allusion
18. Juxtaposition
3. Support
11. Anaphora
19. Simile
4. Diction
12. Euphemism
20. Metaphor
5. Syntax
13. Hyperbole
6. Logos
14. Parallelism
7. Pathos
15. Rhetorical Question
8. Ethos
16. Understatement