Warm-up Quick Write: You desperately want to go to an after-homecoming party at a friend’s lake house. Write a short paragraph persuading your parents to let you attend. You must include three valid reasons!

Using Rhetoric and Persuading an Audience Spring Board 1.18 English 1

Rhetoric  Typical definition: “The art of persuasion”  For our purposes: “Strategies for communicating effectively.”  Thus, a newborn baby crying would not be an example of rhetoric; however, an older child whining to a parent to be picked up and carried is an example of rhetoric. Why?

Aristotle and Rhetoric  Aristotle (a famous Greek philosopher) wrote a valuable book called On Rhetoric, also known as The Art of Rhetoric.  This book remains one of the best studies of rhetoric ever performed.  We will examine some of Aristotle’s concepts.

Aristotle’s Three Appeals  Aristotle defines rhetoric as “the ability to discover all available means of persuasion.”  Successful persuasion requires knowledge of the audience and their expectations.  The three appeals available to rhetoricians are Ethos Pathos Logos

Ethos  Ethos are ethical appeals.  Ethos tries to persuade by focusing on the credibility, qualifications or the character of the speaker. Hint → Ethos is the root for words like ethics and ethical

Pathos  Pathos is an emotional appeal.  Pathos attempts to persuade an audience by appealing to the senses and emotions.  Political ads that show politicians kissing babies or shaking hands with the elderly often appeal to the emotions.  Also these appeals usually include statements with vivid sensory details, which awaken the senses and perhaps manipulate the emotions of the audience. Hint → Pathos is the root for words like empathy, sympathy, apathy

Logos  Logos is a logical or rational appeal.  Logos attempts to persuade by leading readers or listeners down the road of logic and causing them to come to their own conclusions. Logical appeals state the facts and show how the facts are interrelated. Ex → “60% of the time it works every time”

Making Connections to Advertising Techniques  Bandwagon: intends to make the target audience feel left out  Avant-garde: intends to make the target audience feel “hip”  Testimonials: uses a specific spokesperson to endorse product  Facts and Figures: statistics, percentages, and numbers  Transfer: associates good feelings with the product → → → → → Pathos & Logos Ethos Logos Pathos

Which type of rhetorical appeal is being used?

Your Assignment…  In your groups, look at your print ad from yesterday.  What rhetorical appeals did you use?  What changes need to be made to use all 3 rhetorical appeals?  Make any necessary changes to your print ad on the back side of yesterday’s mock-up.  Explain how each appeal was incorporated in your mock-up on a separate piece of paper and attach to your ad.