Rhetoric Class assignment about Visual Analysis about Ad. (College level, 1400-1600 word)

RHETORICAL APPEALS

Attributed to:

- Aristotle

Purpose:

- Employed as tools of persuasion.

- Developed before mass literacy and access to printed texts—when people mostly gained information from listening

Three Main Appeals:

- Pathos

- Logos

- Ethos

PATHOS

Characteristics:

- An appeal to emotions

- Concerning the audience

- Often uses anecdotes (short stories) to connect to the audience

- Sometimes employs sensory description

- May highlight an object of emotion (often a child or animal)

- Uses honorific (respectful) or pejorative (disrespectful) terms, or language charged in good or bad terms

LOGOS

Characteristics:

- An appeal to logic

- Concerning the structure of the argument itself

- Beware of Logical Fallacies—when the logic does not work

- Some causes of logical fallacies include ignorance, ego, prejudice, oversimplification, or stereotyping

- Use of absolute language can also signal logical fallacy. Examples are words like all, every, always, never, none.

ETHOS

Characteristics:

- An appeal to credibility

- Concerning the speaker or writer

- Signals include the use of credentials

- Writer or speaker may give background information about their accomplishments or reputation

- A resume is a document that tries to establish ethos

ARGUMENT STYLES

Purpose:

- A way for the person communicating to structure his or her argument.

Three Main Styles:

- Aristotelian

- Rogerian

- Toulmin

ARISTOTELIAN STYLE

Attributed to:

- Aristotle, 384-322BCE, Greek Philosopher and Scientist

Characteristics:

- Confrontational and commanding the audience to a specific decision

- Direct and straight to the point—clearly states the main claim

- Often formal or rigid

- Often relies on deductive reasoning

- Usually follows the structural format of: context, main point, evidence, refutation of opposition, call-to-arms

ROGERIAN STYLE

Attributed to:

- Carl Rogers, 1902-1987, American Psychologist

Characteristics:

- Invitational or conciliatory—invites the audience to be part of the solution

- Non-confrontational—does not want to alienate the audience

- Often includes a list of how the topic will benefit the audience

- Usually presents several solutions

- Is concerned with making connections or building a bridge to the audience

TOULMIN STYLE

Attributed to:

- Stephen Toulmin, 1922-2009, British Philosopher

Characteristics:

- Often used for everyday arguments

- Often qualified by certain conditions or uses qualifying language in order to lessen the chance for logical fallacy. (Qualifying language includes words like: sometimes, maybe, often, perhaps, usually, for the most part)

- Often relies on inductive reasoning or cause and effect

- A more complex, more analytical style of argument

- Can also be more ambiguous or seem detached

- Presents a series of ideas in order to allow the audience to make up his or her own mind about the issue