Understanding Rhetorical Analysis

1. Understanding Rhetorical Analysis Created by Judika Webb, BA English, MA Professional Writing and Rhetoric

2. What is Rhetoric? Rhetoric can be defined as the Art of Persuasion 3

3. Rhetoric Defined further Rhetoric is one of the arts of using language as a means to persuade. From Ancient Greece to the late 19th Century, it was a central part of Western education, filling the need to train public speakers and writers to move audiences to action with arguments. In its broadest sense, rhetoric concerns human discourse. 4

4. 5 “The School of Athens” Raphael 1509-1510 Vatican, Rome

5. The Academy in Athens depicted here by the artist, Raphael in his fresco “School of Athens,” 1509-1510 is in the Vatican (Rome). The Academy in Athens was the center for the study in the ancient world. Each figure is thought to be one of the many famous Philosophers of Ancient Greece. Early Philosophers studied and wrote on the art of persuasion, one of them being Aristotle (384-322 BC) a teacher at the Academy who wrote Ars Retorica (The Art of Rhetoric) Many of the ideas developed at the Academy in Athens still influence how we approach this topic today. 6

6. How are Audiences Persuaded? The speaker, writer, photographer, etc. appeals to them using the Rhetorical Appeals to the Audience: • Logos-The Logical Appeal • Pathos-The Emotional Appeal • Ethos-The Ethical Appeal 7

7. So, in other words, these appeals help to persuade an audience and all three need to work together to make an effective argument. 8

8. You must appeal to your audience! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quH_pymfS8Q&feature=fvst Let’s watch a speaker appealing to his audience 9

9. The Logical Appeal Involves the Presentation of Evidence Imagine you are selected for jury duty in a capital murder case. You are being asked to find someone innocent or guilty of murder. What types of evidence would you need to convict or acquit a person? 10

10. Types of Evidence Show me the evidence! There are many types of evidence. Imagine all the evidence you would need to acquit or convict someone of murder. 11

11. Types of Evidence Expert Voices Example: The renowned forensic scientist, Henry Lee explaining the blood splatters found at the O. J. Simpson residence. Expert voices add credibility to an argument 12

12. Expert Voices Continued Expert Example: “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” (King, (1963) “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”) An expert - is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. 13

13. Types of Evidence Testimony Example: eye witnesses to something specific I swear I heard some noises, dude 14

14. Testamony continued Testimony - form of evidence that is obtained from a witness who makes a solemn statement or declaration of fact - are eye-witness accounts, from the horse’s mouth, (consider: My last will and Testament, the New Testament, the Old Testament, etc. 15

15. This is the first time I ever did this! Weren’t you on our show last month! Types of Evidence Reference to History To Catch a Predator 16

16. Reference to History continued A reference to history is often used to demonstrate a trend, behavioral pattern or re-occurring events. In the O.J. case, several 911 tapes were introduced attempting to show a pattern of violent behavior and spousal abuse. 17

17. Other types of Evidence • Statistics • Facts • Judgments (based on facts) • Analogies (comparisons) • Anecdotes (one or a series of specific incidences) 18

18. Facts and Anecedotes A Fact is defined as something that cannot be disputed. Example: it is 78 degrees Fahrenheit at this moment. An anecdote is a short narrative (story). These are often used in advertising in the form of testimonials. For example, when a patient vouches for a particular cream that helped cure his athlete's feet, he may tell the story of how bad his feet were before and how the cream cured the menacing problem. 19

19. Consider the following: • How would Expert Voices look in an essay? • How would testimony look in an essay? • How would reference to history look in an essay? 20

20. Answer • According to Henry Lee, “the blood splatters at the O. J. residence indicate the first stab wound was inflicted near the front door entry.” • In an interview with Kato Kalin, he stated that on the night of the murder, he heard noises at the side of the house.” • Nicole Simpson, called 911 at least nine times claiming her ex husband was either behaving violently or had assaulted her. 21

21. The Ethical Appeal Revolves around the Moral Character of the Speaker • Demonstration of Goodwill • Personal Experience • Reputation • Credibility • Attitude toward the Audience http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk “I Have a Dream” speech 22

22. The Ethical Appeal continued • Education (Formal and informal) • Knowledge • Appearance • How the speaker/writer uses logos and • pathos • Style • Vocabulary • Choice of References • Passion • Effort 23

23. ThinkWhat made you vote for your Candidate in the last election? How did each candidate use the ethical appeal in his campaign? What presidential ads do you remember that focused on the Ethos of the Candidate? 24

24. The Emotional Appeal The attempt to persuade by appealing to the audience’s emotions; consciously planning and argument with the intent of exerting specific emotions from the audience. 25

25. Emotional Images How might these images be used to make an argument in a photostory? 26

26. The Logical Fallacies Often evidence presented in an argument are Logical Fallacies, these are often used in a court of law, in advertising, on websites, in articles, etc. Although logical fallacies are errors in reasoning, they can sway audiences, therefore, being effective. However, using these says something about one’s ethos. The following illustration is an example of the slippery slope fallacy. Event X has occurred (or will or might occur). Therefore event Y will inevitably happen. 27

27. http://www.logicalfallacies.info/ List of Logical Fallacies Identify Logical Fallacies when analyzing an argument. Logical fallacies are errors in reasoning. 28

28. Before you begin writing a persuasive or argumenatative essay, answer these questions: 49 49

29. How will you use your knowledge, experience, authority, goodwill, attitude, choice of sources, style, vocabulary, reputation and passion to establish your Ethos? 35

30. Consciously think about your audience as you write, and how will you appeal to their emotions? 36

31. What evidence will you present, and how will you manipulate your argument to win over your audience logically? 31