RWS 200: Rhetorical Strategies

Project: An author’s project describes the kind of work she sets out to do – her purpose and the method she uses to carry it out. It is the overall activity that the writer is engaged in--researching, investigating, experimenting, interviewing, documenting, etc. Try to imagine what the author’s goals were as she wrote the text. Also, WHY THE FUCK DID THEY MAKE THIS ARGUMENT, WHAT DID THE RHETOR HOPE WOULD HAPPEN BY DOING THIS?

Identify the “project” of these three videos.

Ethos, logos, and pathos are Aristotlean appeals. For the purposes of this class, and your own clarity, I will refer to them as MODES OF PERSUASION. (you can use either.)

WTF is a rhetorical strategy? Tools that help writers and other communicators craft language (textual) or images (visual) so as to have an effect on the audience/reader. Strategies are means of persuasion, a way to get the reader’s/audience’s attention. They’re just kinda ways that seem to work on people, and how people’s minds work understanding concepts. (and they do work)

RHETORICAL STRATEGIES?!?! HOW DO THEY ALL FIT TOGETHER????? MODES OF PERSUASION??! EVIDENCE??? HOW DO THEY ALL FIT TOGETHER?????

The Rhetorical Equation: Rhetorical Strategies use (sufficient/credible/relevant) evidence to work. Modes of persuasion require rhetorical strategies to work. An effective argument requires modes of persuasion to work.

When an author wants to persuade you, he chooses a mode of persuasion (or rhetorical appeal) or two*. I want my audience to be angry at the injustice I want to end! (which mode is that?) While using a mode of persuasion (or rhetorical appeal), he picks a rhetorical strategy to use. (I will use an example (which strategy is that??!) to show that injustice, so they can relate to it!) That rhetorical strategy will need evidence to support it. (I will use the example of a sympathetic person who was imprisoned unfairly!)

*Each rhetorical strategy might be a part of more than just one mode of persuasion. …for instance, an example of injustice might both make the audience angry (pathos) AND logically show how the injustice is harming people (logos). Make sense?

Two handouts on the wiki will help you.

Quiz time.

Homework: Read Johann Hari’s “The Likely Cause…” Post up a rhetorical analysis of her text using PACES to your blog USE the handout to guide you.

Project: Johann Hari’s project is to …… Argument: Her argument is that… Claims: She makes a number of sub-claims, including… Evidence: Hari uses research studies and expert testimony… Strategies: The rhetorical strategies that Hari use include…