Unit VII Assignment

Read the fictional speech (below) set in the city hall of a large city that is about to vote on whether a new stadium should be built. The speaker, a city council member, is trying to persuade the audience the stadium should be built. In the table below, identify the rhetorical devices, the appeal to ethos and pathos used to persuade the audience of the conclusion that the stadium should be built. “Fellow city council members, I am here today to tell you why our city should approve the construction of the new sports stadium in the downtown area of our beautiful city. As you know, our mayor is opposed to this construction. I am very disappointed that the public has been misinformed about what is going in regards to this proposed construction. I nearly died hearing some of the lies from those who are opposed to this construction. So I am here today to clarify some things and to bring out the truth as to what is involved in what I hope is the future construction of this stadium. It is a fact that the construction will be a multi-billion-dollar project carried out by contractors from our city and from our city only. This means most of the jobs involved in this construction will involve the residents of our city. It was proposed that these contracts be given to construction companies from other cities. The mayor has proposed this as a condition for his support, but this may be due to the fact he has friends in other cities who will financially benefit from these construction contracts. But...do we want these jobs to go to the residents of other cities? Do we want other people to benefit from something that will be a symbol of our civic pride? I say this because this is the city that I grew up in. I was born here. My parents were also born here. I am very proud of our city, and I am very proud to represent it by my public service. There is no one who cares more about this city than I do. I was here during the 2017 earthquake that cost millions in property damage and took the lives of 23 residents. You should have seen the faces of the families who suffered from this earthquake. Kids were left without a home because of that earthquake. I held those kids in my arms. It is for those families that I think we should build this stadium. I am proposing we build a memorial for those families right at the entrance of the new stadium. We shall have an opening ceremony that honors those families who lost loved ones during the 2017 earthquake. Don’t we want these families to be honored? I yield my time to my fellow councilwoman who also supports this great project”

Conclusion: Rhetorical devices Ethos Pathos

The city should allow the construction of the stadium

1. Hyperbole: “I nearly died hearing some of the lies from those who are opposed to this construction” and “There is no one who cares more about this city than I do.” 2. Rhetorical questions: “Do we want other people to benefit from something that will be a symbol of our civic pride?” “Do we want other people to benefit from something that will be a symbol of our civic pride?” and “Don’t we want these families to be honored?”

The council member says he cares a lot about the city. He was born and raised in the city

The council member creates emotion by addressing the victims of the 2017 earthquake: “You should have seen the faces of the families who suffered from this earthquake.”

Now consider how a logical argument devoid of rhetoric can be built. In order to do so, consider the relevant information below. Some of this information was omitted in the councilman’s speech Relevant information (facts):

1. It is true that the construction contracts (for the stadium) will go to construction businesses from the city and only from the city.

2. Since the proposed construction was announced, eight city investors requested licenses to build

restaurants and bars near the stadium. This means that more long term jobs will be available in these bars and restaurants.

3. The district superintendent for the largest school district in the city announced that the city

government would pledge that 15% of the tax revenue generated by the stadium would go to public schools for all school districts in the city.

Logical argument based on relevant information:

Conclusion: Premises:

The city

should build

the sports

stadium.

1. The construction contracts (for the stadium) will go to construction businesses from

the city and only from the city.

2. New long term jobs will be available to the city due to new bars and restaurants that

will open.

3. The school districts will (financially) benefit by the construction of the stadium.