Download What Are Rhetorical Strategies

What are Rhetorical
Strategies?
What is rhetoric? And why
bother studying it?
• Def. rhetoric - the art of effective expression
(speaking & writing) and the persuasive use
of language
• We study rhetoric because:
– We are told we have to in the curriculum
– it helps us to better appreciate appeals to our ethos,
pathos, & logos
– it helps us to become more effective persuasive
speakers and writers
Examples?
• Where do we see examples of rhetorical
strategies/devices being used?
Some Examples from Life:
• Formal Diction leads readers/listeners to believe
something is ethically or legally important
– Ex. ICEs, textbooks, dissertations, contracts
• Emotional Diction (sometimes called
“sensationalism”) leads readers/listeners to
recognize that ideas expressed are important
ONLY to the writer/speaker
– Ex. News Media, BuzzFeed, TMZ, People
• Allusion can associate a new idea to a traditionally
respected source
– Biblical Allusions, folktales, etc.
Another Real Life Example…
• Authoritarian
– Principals, some teachers, people in
leadership. positions, etc
Basic Ways to Persuade
an Audience:
• Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that
there are three basic ways to persuade
an audience that you are right.
Ethos, Pathos, Logos
Ethos
• Def. ethos - persuasive appeal of one’s
character. Tells us that the
writer/speaker is reliable and competent
(per the writer/speaker)
– Essentially, it is your resume
– Beginning of all political campaigns
• Example: “I am a father, a taxpayer, and have
served you as senator for 20 years. I deserve
your vote to continue my service.”
AK Senator Hollis French
Pathos
• Def. pathos - appeals to emotion; meant
to evoke emotional response)
– Middle of a political campaign (namecalling)
– P.S.A.s
Logos
• Def. logos - appeals to reason; evokes
a rational response
– Think “logical”
– End of a political campaign (threats)
– Example: Texas’ bridges are in a state of
disrepair. Without quality bridges, these
could collapse injuring countless and
innocent people and children. Therefore,
we must use state funds to fix our bridges
to prevent senseless deaths.
What are these - ethos,
pathos or logos
(or both or all three)?
Rhetorical Strategies
The following strategies are some of the
ways to make your writing/speaking more
persuasive, i.e. to get people to do what
you want them to do.
Parallel Structure
• Parallel Structure - repetition of
grammatically similar words, phrases,
clauses, or sentences to emphasize a
point or stir the emotions of a
reader/listener. Used to create a sense
of rhythm, balance, and order in writing
or speech.
Parallel Structure
Coach Johnson told the players: “You will
get some sleep tonight, you will not eat
right before the game, and you will
stretch before the game.”
Rhetorical Question
• Rhetorical Question – question without
a real answer because, to the
writer/speaker, the answer is obvious
– Used in persuasion to encourage the
reader/listener to reflect on what the
answer must be.
“How much longer must our
people endure this injustice?”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rhetorical Devices
Allusion
• Short, informal reference to a famous
person, event, story.
– Relies on reader/listener to be familiar with
the reference and hidden meaning.
– Used to stimulate ideas, associations, add
extra information.
Analogy
• Comparison between two things that
are alike in certain respects.
– Used in persuasion to demonstrate the
logic of one idea by showing how it is
similar to an accepted idea.
– Ex. “Pupils are more like oysters than
sausages. The job of teaching is not to
stuff them and then seal them up, but to
help them reveal the riches within.”-Sydney
Harris
Alliteration
• Repetition of initial consonant sounds.
• Used to call attention to a phrase and
fixes it in the reader’s/listener’s mind.
• Ex. “Let us go forth to lead the land we
love.”- John F. Kennedy Inaugural
speech
Humor
• Humor can be used to make you like the
writer/speaker and “win you over”
– Hyperbole- exaggeration for emphasis/effect
• “At night she needs a paint scraper to take off her
makeup.”
– Sarcasm
• “I know understand why some animals eat their young.”
– Irony - verbal, situational, dramatic.
• “It’s too bad the alarm store was broken in to.”
– Understatement
• From Monty Python: Army officer loses a leg, “Stings a
bit.”
Audience
S.O.A.P.
• When attempting to persuade, consider
your audience.
– For example, you would not use sarcasm
to persuade a potential employer to hire
you.
Active Voice v. Passive Voice
• Active Voice - doing something
– The boy hit the ball. The subject of this
sentence actively hits the ball.
• Passive Voice – not doing something
– The ball was hit by the boy. The subject
sits passively, doing nothing while some
outside agent performs the action.
What’s Better –
Active or Passive?
• Active sentences are shorter.
– The fighter punched Ali and dodged the
uppercut. (Active= 8 words)
– Ali was punched by the fighter, and then an
uppercut was dodged by him. (Passive= 14
words)
Active Sentences are
Clear and to the Point
• When you use passive voice, you have
to use boring phrases like “by so-andso” (leave this out and your sentences
become unclear).
– The airplane was flown to Bermuda (By the
pilot? On the back of a bird?).
– My car has been driven to Dallas. (By
whom? A car thief? The teletubbies?)
To Identify the “Evil”
Passive Voice
• Use of “to be” verbs such as
is/am/are/was/were/be/being/been/?
– Passive voice used “to be” verbs
• Need to insert “by so-and-so” after the verb
for clarity
– The dog was fed (By the owner? By the cat?)
• ID the subject and main verb.
– Is the subject “doing” the action or sitting passively