Rhetorical Analysis

What is Rhetoric? Study of effective speaking and writing The art of persuasion

Rhetorical Analysis Analyzing and understanding how the piece of work achieved its effect to ❏ move ❏ affect ❏ inform ❏ influence ❏ persuade an audience

Breakdown Rhetorical: the art of persuasion Analysis: the breaking down of some thing into its parts and interpreting how those parts fit together

General Areas for Rhetoric 1. Purpose: What is the author attempting to do with his or her work? 2. Audience: Who is the piece of work for? 3. Appeals: ethos, pathos, logos

Ethos The ethical appeal referring to the credibility, character, and confidence of a writer The writer or speaker comes off as trustworthy.

Pathos The emotional appeal by the use of emotion- laden words, description, and the use of repetition. Generates emotions such as fear, pity, love, anger, or jealousy in hopes the audience will accept a claim.

Logos The logical appeal referring to the use of reasoning such as definitions, statistics, law, and comparisons. Presentation of credible testimony or even a narrative or story that embodies reason.

Notes: EAA Logos, Ethos, Pathos

Logos ❏ Facts ❏ Statistics ❏ Survey and Polls ❏ Testimonies and Narratives ❏ Using Reason and Common Sense (p67)

Logos: Using Logic in Persuasion Examples (p 60) 1. Drunk drivers are involved in more than 50 percent of traffic deaths. 3. A psychologist testified that teenage violence could not be blamed for video games. 4. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Logical Structure ❏ Degree ❏ Analogies ❏ Precedent

Example Apple has come down from $363 in February to $316 Monday. Furthermore, that masks the fact that the company is sitting on a ton of net cash. At the end of the last quarter, cash, securities and other liquid assets exceeded liabilities by $51 billion, or around $55 a share. This may top $60 by the end of this quarter. So the cash-free stock price — the enterprise value of the business — may only be around $260. That’s barely 10 times forecast earnings of $25 for the fiscal year ending in September. It’s just nine times next year’s forecast earnings. And it’s only around 2.3 times this year’s sales. Brett Arrends "Is Apple Becoming a Value Stock." on Marketwatch.com June 21st 2011

Ethos: Using Ethics in Persuasion We all ask questions like: Does this report seem biased? Why should I pay attention to this speaker? Do I really trust this brand?

Ethos: Arguments based on Character EAA compares Charlie Sheen and Tim Tebow Appeals//Arguments about character often turn on claims like: A person (group, institution) is or is not trustworthy or credible on the issue A person (group, institution) does or does not have the authority to speak on this issue A person (group, institution) does or does not have unselfish or clear motives for addressing this subject.

Establishing Trustworthiness & Credibility ❏ Honesty ❏ Respect for an audience and its values ❏ Likability (sense of humor) ❏ Connecting beliefs to core respected principles ❏ Use language that shows respect for readers’ intelligence ❏ Acknowledge outright any expectations, qualifications, and weaknesses in your argument

More Ethics ❏ Claiming authority ❏ Coming clean about Motives

Example When I am the nominee, I will offer a clear choice. John McCain won't be able to say that I ever supported this war in Iraq, because I opposed it from the beginning. Senator McCain said the other day that we might be mired for a hundred years in Iraq, which is reason enough to not give him four years in the White House. If we had chosen a different path, the right path, we could have finished the job in Afghanistan, and put more resources into the fight against bin Laden; and instead of spending hundreds of billions of dollars in Baghdad, we could have put that money into our schools and hospitals, our road and bridges – and that's what the American people need us to do right now. Barack Obama Potomac Primary Night Speech February 12, 2008

Pathos: Using Emotions in Persuasion ❏ Before they’ll trust you, they’ll want assurances that you understand the issues in depth. ❏ Help readers identify with your experiences. ❏ Make logical claims stronger or more memorable with emotional connections ❏ Humor

Example Steve Jobs speech: p 34