Everything’s an Argument

“Dispute it like a man.” Macduff responds gruffly, “But I must also feel it as a man.” (Mac. 4.3. 219-21) Everything’s an Argument

The Rhetorical Triangle-(right side)

Pathos-Emotional Argument (left side) We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. • Winston Churchill, “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”

Pathos- Defined-(Right side) • Powerful tools to influence people to think and believe • Words and images that evoke certain emotions in people • Moving audiences to sympathize with ideas that connect to feelings • Making people aware of how much they owe to others

Using Emotions to Build Bridges-(Right side) • Using emotion to connect with readers to ensure them that you understand their experiences • Writing about matters that readers regard as sensitive-before they trust you, they will want assurances • Using personal experiences to connect with readers

Build Bridges Example-Left Side The first time I opened Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation, I was dining alone at the Palm, trying to enjoy a rib-eye steak cooked medium-rare. If this sounds like a good recipe for cognitive dissonance (if not indigestion), that was sort of the idea. Preposterous as it might seem to supporters of animal rights, what I was doing was tantamount to reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin on a plantation in the Deep South in 1852. • Michael Pollan, “An Animal’s Place”

Using emotions to sustain an argument (right side) • Emotional appeals to make logical claims stronger and memorable • Using humor to put readers at ease • Presenting arguments in explicit terms

Practice Time-Left Side • “Just do it.” (Nike) • “Think different.” (Apple) • “Reach out and touch someone.” (AT&T) • “Yes we can!” (Presidential slogan) • “Country First.” (Presidential slogan) • “By any means necessary.” (Malcolm X) • “Have it your way.” (Burger King) • “It’s everywhere you want to be.” (Visa)

Ethos- (Ethical)Character Argument-Right Side • Through the reputation a character brings to the table • Through the language, evidence, and images characters use

Appeals or arguments about character often turn on claims… (right side) • What does he know about the subject? • What experiences does she have that make her especially knowledgeable? • Why should I pay attention to this writer? • You as the writer have to be able to answer questions like these when you offer an argument.

Claiming Authority-Right side • Bold and Personal • Attaching academic and professional titles to their names • Mentioning their employers and the number of years that they’ve worked in a given field • How much command a writer has over a subject

Claiming Authority- Example (left side) It is certainly accurate that a number of people do enter higher education poorly prepared. And we do needto think hard about what the current push for “college for all” truly means, how it can be enacted in an effective way, and whether or not it offers the best remedy for past educational inequality. These are important questions. Articles like “In the basement of the Ivory Tower” don’t help us answer them. ~Mike Rose, Mike Rose’s blog

Establishing Credibility…(right side) • Speaks to a writer’s honesty • A sense of humor • Your writing has to visually convey your message effectively • Connect your own beliefs to core principles that are well established and widely respected • Language that shows respect for readers • Acknowledge any exceptions, qualifications, or weaknesses

Coming Clean about Motives…(right side) • The heart of the ethical argument! • Diverse views and quick to point out unmentioned affiliations • Common in political circles

Motives Example-Left side I profess, in sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing. • Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal

Ethos Practice-Left side • Oprah Winfrey (TV Talk Show) • Kate Winslet (Actress) • Colin Powell (political figure) • Sarah Palin (political figure) • Jeff Gordon (NASCAR) • Marge Simpson-(The Simpsons)

Logos (Facts and Reason) Argument- Right Side • Arguments based on: Facts, Evidence, and Reasons • Providing Hard Evidence • Facts • Statistics • Surveys and Polls • Testimonies and Narratives • Using Reason and Common Sense • Cultural Assumptions and Values • Logical Structures: Degree, Analogies, and Precedent

Logos-Providing Hard Evidence (right side) • Facts and Testimony • Columns of data • Supplies the details • Statement + Proof • Claim + Supporting Evidence

Logos-Facts-(right side) • Make strong arguments • Compelling • Accurately and Reliable • Good Information

Logos-Statistics/Surveys and Polls – (Right side) • Statistics: • Figures lie and liars figure • Contains a grain of truth • Surveys and Polls • Popularity of an idea or proposal • Provide persuasive appeals • Majority opinion offers a compelling warrant

Logos-Testimonies and Narratives/ Reason and Common Sense- (Right Side) • Human experiences • Personal experiences • Formal Logic: (Reasoning) • All human beings are mortal • Socrates is a human being • Therefore, Socrates is mortal

Logos-Cultural Assumptions and Values- (right side) • Shared Values • Culture and History • Fairness and Equity • Society

Logos-Practice-(left side) • The bigger they are, the harder they fall. • Drunk drivers are involved in more than 50 percent of traffic deaths. • DNA tests of skin found under the victim’s fingernails suggest that the defendant was responsible for the assault. • A psychologist testified that teenage violence could not be blamed on video games.

Everything’s an Argument