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Rhetoric. What is rhetoric?. Rhetoric. -The art of putting one’s case in the strongest possible way. Either effective or ineffective (no absolutes. Difficult to judge. Communicator. The Rhetorical Situation. Audience. Message. Communicator.
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Rhetoric What is rhetoric?
Rhetoric • -The art of putting one’s case in the strongest possible way. • Either effective or ineffective (no absolutes. • Difficult to judge
Communicator The Rhetorical Situation Audience Message
Communicator • Uses credibility to influence the audience through: • Correctness • Eloquence • Notable authority • Eloquence - the power of expressing feelings or thoughts in words that impress or move other people
Message • CLAIM: the writer’s or speaker’s position on the issue • SUPPORT: the reasons and evidence that support the claim
Audience • The communicator takes into account that the audience is influenced by: • Beliefs • Values • Knowledge • Experience • Demographics
Understanding the Connection • Understanding the connection between the communicator, message, and audience provides context for making persuasive appeals to reason. Appeals to reason: • Ethos • Logos • Pathos
Ethos - appeal based on the character of the speaker. An ethos-driven document relies on the reputation of the author. Example:Acme Gizmotronics, the company that you've trusted for over 100 years, has recently entered the World Wide Web! Ethos
Logos - appeal based on logic or reason. Documents distributed by companies or corporations are logos-driven. Scholarly documents are also often logos-driven. Example: By combining cesium and dihydro-oxide in laboratory conditions, and capturing the released energy, ACME has promised to lead the way into the future. Logos
Pathos - appeal based on emotion. Advertisements tend to be pathos-driven. Example: Christian Children’s Fund uses pathos in its commercials when they show pictures of children in poverty while asking for money to support their cause. Pathos
A good writer must remember: 1. Writing is written for a purpose: • Persuading • Informing • Entertaining 2. Writing has an audience. Who are they? • Education • Beliefs • Demographics
3. Writing utilizes appropriate appeals • Ethos • Logos • Pathos
In the following examples, who is the audience, what is the purpose and which appeal may be effective? A love letter? An essay about amino acids? An essay urging longer jail sentences? A manual about how to use an I-pod?
Rhetoric can be: • Writing • Cartoons • Art • Visual images • Advertisements • Web pages
Le Grande Vitesse by Alexander Calder; Steel; 1969: Vanderburgh Plaza, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Painting – Renaissance – “St. John and The Mourning Women,” Memling (1440-1494); Royal Chapter, Granada
FACT vs. OPINION • What is a fact? • A fact is something that can be verified and backed up with evidence, e.g. In 2008, 64% of students at North passed the English ISTEP+ exam.
FACT vs. OPINION • What is an opinion? • An opinion is based on a belief or view. It is not based on evidence that can be verified, e.g. Peyton Manning is the best football player in the NFL. Are there players in the NFL who are better than Peyton Manning?
FACT vs. OPINION • Mixing fact and opinion • Writers often mix fact and opinion. So it is not always easy to tell whether something is based on verifiable information or someone's particular viewpoint. For this reason, it is important to read with a questioning mind. Just because someone says something is true - it doesn't mean it is true? What do you think?
How do you tell? • How do we distinguish between fact and opinion? • One way is to look at the language. Language helps us to decide whether a statement can be backed up with evidence and verified in some way. Or whether the statement is someone's point of view, judgment or belief.
FACTS • Here are some examples of the language we use to express facts: • This review has demonstrated....... • According to the results of the latest poll...... • The latest findings confirm...... • Researchers have recently discovered...... • HINT: Look at the key words used to express facts: discovered, demonstrated, according, confirm.
Opinions • Here are some examples of the language we use to express opinion: • The company claims that...... • The research team argues that...... • In Professor Donald's view...... • Most experts in this field suspect that...... • HINT: Look at the key words used to express opinion: claims, argues, view, suspect.
WARNING!! • WARNING! Facts and opinions can be manipulated. Opinions can be presented as facts, simply by using the language of facts to present them. • "Recent statements made by the council confirm that most residents do not want a further expansion of the one-way system of streets." • Although facts are expressed in the language in the above statement, there is very little evidence to back it up. The council may have made statements about increasing the number of one-way streets, but this does not mean that local residents were surveyed and their responses recorded in any way.
FACT or OPINION? In 1787, the British Government sent a fleet of convicts to colonize Australia.
FACT or OPINION? America’s treatment of the homeless is a disgrace.
FACT or OPINION? Poetry and politics just don’t mix.
FACT or OPINION? Because of a newly formed and largely incompetent national weather service, the city of Galveston, Texas was practically destroyed in a horrifying hurricane that left thousands dead.
FACT or OPINION? In 1852, the President of the United States, Franklin Pierce, was greedy to expand U.S. influence, and he formally offered to buy the island of Cuba.
FACT or OPINION? It is a proven fact that chocolate ice cream is the best.
FACT or OPINION? Between 1945 and 1960, the number of cars in the United States increased by 133 percent.
FACT or OPINION? Those opposed to government spending conveniently forget how much the GI Bill—a program that allotted billions of dollars to help veterans of World War Two—helped expand America’s postwar economy.
