the art of rhetoric
INDEX
What is Rhetoric?
Rhetoric Defined
Why Study Rhetoric?
TED-Ed How to Use Rhetoric
Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical Situation 1
Rhetorical Situation 2
Rhetorical Appeals
Rhetorical Devices
Rhetorical Questions
RA: Super Bowl Commercials
Rhetorical Verbs/Sentence Frames
What is RHETORIC?
ANSWER
Rhetoric
Rhetoric means the art of persuasion (speaking or writing). In other words, using language purposefully to impact an audience and persuade them to take action, hold certain values, or even purchase specific goods and services.
Rhetoric
Are you a persuasive person? Why or why not? What are your methods of persuasion? How well do they work?
Why Study rhetoric?
- Make sense of the information about the world around you, from books and political speeches to advertisements and TikTok videos.
- Clear thinking, good argument, and logical discussion are essential to academic student success in college.
- Employers say the top skill they are looking for is "good communication skills." They want you to persuade people that their company, non-profit, or agency is the best at what they do. Excellent speaking and writing skills (and media skills) will set you apart.
- Knowing what arguments work (or don't work) and why so you can contribute to discussions and debates.
Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical analysis is the process of evaluating elements of a text and determining how those elements impact the success or failure of that argument. Rhetorical analyses often address written arguments, but visual, oral, or other kinds of “texts” can also be analyzed. By identifying and understanding how audiences are persuaded, you become more proficient at constructing your own arguments and in resisting faulty arguments made by others.
The Rhetorical Situation
Audience
Subject/Message
Rhetor/Speaker
TThe rhetor is the individual, group, or organization that authors a text (print, oral, or multimodal). Every rhetor brings their culture, beliefs, values, experiences, race, gender, affiliations, etc., to the rhetorical situation, affecting how and what they say about a subject.
The audience includes the individuals the writer or speaker engages within the text. Most often, there is an intended or target audience for a text. **The audience isn't "everyone," and you, as the student reader, are also not the likely intended audience of the text, so avoid words like "us" and "we" in your rhetorical analysis.**
The subject refers to the issue at hand, the major topics the writer/speaker addresses.
These elements work together like pieces of a puzzle!
The Rhetorical Situation
Purpose
Exigence
Context
The purpose is what the writer/speaker and their text aim to do. The genre or occasion can often indicate an assumed purpose. For example, a eulogy's purpose is to mourn or honor the deceased, whereas a commencement speech intends to inspire.
Exigence refers to the event or occurrence that prompted the rhetorical act.
The context refers to the historical, social, cultural, political, geographic, and institutional factors that likely influence the writer, text, and audience in a particular situation.
These elements work together like pieces of a puzzle!
Rhetorical Appeal
Logos
ethos
pathos
Appeals to authority and credibility.
Appeals to reason and logic.
Appeals to emotion and passion.
Logical appeals include citing facts and statistics, historical events, and other forms of fact-based evidence. Claims should be realistic and grounded in evidence, and the rhetor might consider alternative arguments to demonstrate fair-mindedness.
Emotional appeals to the audience to evoke feelings of happiness, pity, sympathy, anger, fear, or a sense of urgency, among others.
The writer or speaker must convince the audience of their credibility through the language they use, their delivery, or the embodied performance of their speech.
+ Questions
Questions
Questions
Questions
kairos
- The right time to speak or write;
- an advantageous, exact, or critical time;
- a window of time during which action is most effective
- MLK Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered at the right moment in history.
• When/where was the argument originally presented?• What circumstances may have motivated the argument? • Does the particular time or situation in which the text is written make it more compelling or persuasive?
kairos
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message Context: Purpose:
SUPERBOWL 2022
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message Context: Purpose:
Nike
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message Context: Purpose:
FLEX SEAL
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message: Context: Purpose:
"The Choice" 2012 campaign
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message: Context: Purpose:
100th anniversary oct. 2023
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message:Context: Purpose:
Beijing olympics 2008
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message: Context: Purpose:
SUPERBOWL 2023
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message: Context: Purpose:
SUPERBOWL 2016
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Rhetorical Verbs
- Argues
- Challenges
- Chastises
- Claims
- Contests
- Conveys
- Demonstrates
- Encourages
- Endorses
- Rejects
- Represents
- Signifies
- Suggests
- Unifies
- Unites
- Urges
- Vilifies
- Highlights
- Illustrates
- Implies
- Implores
- Inspires
- Justifies
- Lobbies for
- Portrays
- References
Thesis Statement
- A thesis statement is a clear statement that lets the reader know the main idea of the paper.
- Be specific!
- Use your thesis to build a discussion.
- Your body paragraphs should support your thesis.
Thesis Statement & Rhetorical Essays
A thesis statement for a rhetorical analysis does not address the content of the author’s argument. Instead, the thesis should be a statement about specific rhetorical strategies the author uses and whether or not they make a convincing argument.
Thesis Statement & Rhetorical Essays: Incorrect Thesis
Sam Harris’ TED Talk sets alarm bells ringing, warning us that superhuman machines could threaten humanity and our way of life. This statement summarizes the meaning and purpose of Harris’ talk rather than making an argument about how—and how effectively—Harris presents and defends his position.
Thesis Statement & Rhetorical Essays: Correct Thesis
Although Harris’ talk includes bleak and terrifying scenarios of humankind’s future destruction, his argument is altogether unconvincing because his claim is not backed up with factual evidence.
Through the use of literal analogies and vivid scenarios, Harris makes a powerful argument for paying closer attention to and taking more seriously the gains we make in artificial intelligence.
Rhetorical Sentence Frames [Exigence]
• Given that the AUTHOR/SPEAKER…is speaking to/at EVENT/OCCASION, s/he/they…
• Considering that (reference to what the prompted the speaker/writer to speak/write), the AUTHOR/SPEAKER…
Rhetorical Sentence Frames [Context]
• Knowing that (reference to historical context), AUTHOR/SPEAKER…
• Considering (brief summary of relevant context), AUTHOR/SPEAKER…
Rhetorical Sentence Frames [Audience]
•Given that the AUTHOR/SPEAKER is (relationship to audience), s/he/they… • Given that AUTHOR/SPEAKER is speaking to AUDIENCE, s/he/they must…because…
• Knowing the AUDIENCE is…, AUTHOR/SPEAKER…
Rhetorical Sentence Frames [Rhetor]
• Given that AUTHOR/SPEAKER seeks to…, s/he/they…
• Given that the AUTHOR’S/SPEAKER’S qualifications as…, s/he/they…
Why do some commercials succeed and others fail in the Chinese market? What philosophical principles underlie the strategies in the Chinese market? What guidelines should an American company know when deciding its marketing strategies to appeal to the Chinese audience?
INTRODUCTION TO RHETORICAL ANALYSIS (GU)
Lisa Cox
Created on September 11, 2023
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Transcript
the art of rhetoric
INDEX
What is Rhetoric?
Rhetoric Defined
Why Study Rhetoric?
TED-Ed How to Use Rhetoric
Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical Situation 1
Rhetorical Situation 2
Rhetorical Appeals
Rhetorical Devices
Rhetorical Questions
RA: Super Bowl Commercials
Rhetorical Verbs/Sentence Frames
What is RHETORIC?
ANSWER
Rhetoric
Rhetoric means the art of persuasion (speaking or writing). In other words, using language purposefully to impact an audience and persuade them to take action, hold certain values, or even purchase specific goods and services.
Rhetoric
Are you a persuasive person? Why or why not? What are your methods of persuasion? How well do they work?
Why Study rhetoric?
Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical analysis is the process of evaluating elements of a text and determining how those elements impact the success or failure of that argument. Rhetorical analyses often address written arguments, but visual, oral, or other kinds of “texts” can also be analyzed. By identifying and understanding how audiences are persuaded, you become more proficient at constructing your own arguments and in resisting faulty arguments made by others.
The Rhetorical Situation
Audience
Subject/Message
Rhetor/Speaker
TThe rhetor is the individual, group, or organization that authors a text (print, oral, or multimodal). Every rhetor brings their culture, beliefs, values, experiences, race, gender, affiliations, etc., to the rhetorical situation, affecting how and what they say about a subject.
The audience includes the individuals the writer or speaker engages within the text. Most often, there is an intended or target audience for a text. **The audience isn't "everyone," and you, as the student reader, are also not the likely intended audience of the text, so avoid words like "us" and "we" in your rhetorical analysis.**
The subject refers to the issue at hand, the major topics the writer/speaker addresses.
These elements work together like pieces of a puzzle!
The Rhetorical Situation
Purpose
Exigence
Context
The purpose is what the writer/speaker and their text aim to do. The genre or occasion can often indicate an assumed purpose. For example, a eulogy's purpose is to mourn or honor the deceased, whereas a commencement speech intends to inspire.
Exigence refers to the event or occurrence that prompted the rhetorical act.
The context refers to the historical, social, cultural, political, geographic, and institutional factors that likely influence the writer, text, and audience in a particular situation.
These elements work together like pieces of a puzzle!
Rhetorical Appeal
Logos
ethos
pathos
Appeals to authority and credibility.
Appeals to reason and logic.
Appeals to emotion and passion.
Logical appeals include citing facts and statistics, historical events, and other forms of fact-based evidence. Claims should be realistic and grounded in evidence, and the rhetor might consider alternative arguments to demonstrate fair-mindedness.
Emotional appeals to the audience to evoke feelings of happiness, pity, sympathy, anger, fear, or a sense of urgency, among others.
The writer or speaker must convince the audience of their credibility through the language they use, their delivery, or the embodied performance of their speech.
+ Questions
Questions
Questions
Questions
kairos
• When/where was the argument originally presented?• What circumstances may have motivated the argument? • Does the particular time or situation in which the text is written make it more compelling or persuasive?
kairos
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message Context: Purpose:
SUPERBOWL 2022
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message Context: Purpose:
Nike
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message Context: Purpose:
FLEX SEAL
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message: Context: Purpose:
"The Choice" 2012 campaign
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message: Context: Purpose:
100th anniversary oct. 2023
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence: Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message:Context: Purpose:
Beijing olympics 2008
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message: Context: Purpose:
SUPERBOWL 2023
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Exigence Speaker: Audience: Subject/Message: Context: Purpose:
SUPERBOWL 2016
Rhetorical Appeals? Devices?
Rhetorical Verbs
Thesis Statement
Thesis Statement & Rhetorical Essays
A thesis statement for a rhetorical analysis does not address the content of the author’s argument. Instead, the thesis should be a statement about specific rhetorical strategies the author uses and whether or not they make a convincing argument.
Thesis Statement & Rhetorical Essays: Incorrect Thesis
Sam Harris’ TED Talk sets alarm bells ringing, warning us that superhuman machines could threaten humanity and our way of life. This statement summarizes the meaning and purpose of Harris’ talk rather than making an argument about how—and how effectively—Harris presents and defends his position.
Thesis Statement & Rhetorical Essays: Correct Thesis
Although Harris’ talk includes bleak and terrifying scenarios of humankind’s future destruction, his argument is altogether unconvincing because his claim is not backed up with factual evidence.
Through the use of literal analogies and vivid scenarios, Harris makes a powerful argument for paying closer attention to and taking more seriously the gains we make in artificial intelligence.
Rhetorical Sentence Frames [Exigence]
• Given that the AUTHOR/SPEAKER…is speaking to/at EVENT/OCCASION, s/he/they… • Considering that (reference to what the prompted the speaker/writer to speak/write), the AUTHOR/SPEAKER…
Rhetorical Sentence Frames [Context]
• Knowing that (reference to historical context), AUTHOR/SPEAKER… • Considering (brief summary of relevant context), AUTHOR/SPEAKER…
Rhetorical Sentence Frames [Audience]
•Given that the AUTHOR/SPEAKER is (relationship to audience), s/he/they… • Given that AUTHOR/SPEAKER is speaking to AUDIENCE, s/he/they must…because… • Knowing the AUDIENCE is…, AUTHOR/SPEAKER…
Rhetorical Sentence Frames [Rhetor]
• Given that AUTHOR/SPEAKER seeks to…, s/he/they… • Given that the AUTHOR’S/SPEAKER’S qualifications as…, s/he/they…
Why do some commercials succeed and others fail in the Chinese market? What philosophical principles underlie the strategies in the Chinese market? What guidelines should an American company know when deciding its marketing strategies to appeal to the Chinese audience?