Parts of Aristotle’s Triangle
Speaker
Purpose
1. Persuade
2. Inform
3. Entertain
Audience
Subject
Parts Defined
Speaker: The person or group who creates a text. Will
not always be the person speaking; can be an artist,
company, or politician. Sometimes there is a difference
between who the speaker is in real life and the role the
speaker plays when delivering the speech.
Audience: The listener, viewer, or reader of a text or
performance. There may be multiple audiences. Be very
specific. Instead of “All People” try – “Adults with small
children who have food allergies”. What values does the
audience hold; how much do they know; what is their
attitude toward the subject?
Parts Continues
Subject: this is the topic, content, and ideas: the
main idea(s). Must not be confused with the purpose.
Again, be specific.
Purpose: the goal the speaker wants to achieve.
The reasons behind the text. What does the author
want the audience to do as a result of reading the text?
1. Entertain
2. Inform
3. Persuade
Greek for “embodied thought”
Graphs
Charts
% or Numbers or Statistics
Research or Experiments
Examples or Facts
May acknowledge a Counterargument
(the other side).
Agree the argument is true (CONCEDE)
Deny it to be true (REFUTE)
Logos
Clear, Rational ideas, Logical thinking
Rhetorical Appeals
Appeals to reason: MATHEMATICAL
Figurative language
Personal anecdotes
Vivid Images/Imagery
Humor
Colors
Music
Chooses diction with strong
Connotation.
MUST evoke emotion from the
audience
Rhetorical Appeals
hopes or fears and prejudices
Understands the power of evoking
an audience’s emotions by using
tools such as:
Pathos
Appeal to emotions, desires, and
are credible and trustworthy.
In some instances the speaker’s
reputation immediately establishes
ethos.
Includes Morals, Values, & Ethics
Speaker gives:
Expertise
Knowledge
Experience
Sincerity
Common purpose with the audience
Ethos
Demonstrates that the speaker(s)
Rhetorical Appeals
Greek for “Character”
Narration
Story telling – recounting of
events
Based on personal experience
or gained knowledge
Writers often use to lead into a
topic
Usually chronological
Concrete details
Point of view
Dialogue
Description
Includes many specific details
Emphasizes the senses by
painting a picture of
Sight
Sound
Taste
Smell
Touch
Used to establish a mood or
atmosphere
May use emotionally charged
language
Process Analysis
Explains how something works
How to do something
How something was done
Examples:
How to make bread
How to set up an Excel sheet
Directions to assemble a grill
Self-Help books
Exemplification
Provides a series of examples
Turns a general idea into a
concrete one
Makes arguments clearer and
more persuasive
May use one extended
example or a series of related
ones
Compare & Contrast
Putting 2 things or ideas
side by side to highlight their
similarities and differences
Often used to discuss
Subtle differences
Similarities in:
Method
Style
Purpose
Classification Division
Sorting of ideas into
categories
What goes together and
why?
Breaking down a larger idea
or concept into parts
Definition
An idea must be identified
before it can be discussed
May lay the foundation to
establish common ground
Or identify areas of conflict
Defining a term is often the
first step in a disagreement
or debate
Then often analyzes
characteristics that define
the term or concept
Cause & Effect
Looks at how a cause leads to a result OR how an
effect results from a cause