The Rhetorical Situation: Five Components of Persuasion

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The Rhetorical Situation Five Components of
Persuasion The Fundamentals of Communication

• Preparation for Rhetorical Analysis and
  Impressive, Effective Communication on the GHSGWT
• Essential Questions
• What is the art of persuasion?
• What devices are used in successful persuasion?
• How do people effectively communicate what they
  need or want others to do?

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The Fundamentals ofCommunication

• Communication is a complex process, but a
  communication system is
• often categorized into six main components.
• The six components and
• their public speaking analogs are
• Transmitter Speaker
• Channels Senses speech, hearing, seeing, etc.
• Message Speakers topic
• Receiver Audience
• Noise Internal and external factors that affect
  message
• reception by audience e.g., daydreaming,
  traffic
• noise, etc.
• Feedback Audience reaction

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As a writer with a voice, if you were to read
your response to the given topic out loud, which
elements would you have control over?
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Of the six components listed, the speaker has
immediate control over only three self, the
methods of communication chosen (visual,
auditory, etc.), and the message itself. The
speaker can influence, but not control, the last
three components the audience, distractions, and
audienceresponse.
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Persuasive Speech/WritingPersuasion is a
communicative process of altering the beliefs,
attitudes, intentions, or behavior of another by
the conscious and unconscious use of words and
nonverbal messages. (Ilardo, 1981)
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What Exactly is Rhetoric?

• The study of effective speaking and writing
• The art of persuasion
• Why would anyone want to listen to you, HEAR what
  you have to say, and then give you what you want?

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The Rhetorical SituationWrite PAPEL across your
knuckles with a Sharpie until the day of the
writing exam!

• P purpose
• A audience
• P pathos
• E ethos
• L logos

Five concepts to help explore any rhetorical
situation
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Purpose

• What change does the writer/speaker want to
  effect?
• IMPORTANT To ensure you have a clear
  understanding of purpose, you should be able to
  express this in terms of physical, tangible
  action.
• A writer may have multiple purposes, and YOURS is
  to take a stance and stand your ground.

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Audience

• All attempts to persuade must take into account
  the audience
• Audience includes three things
• knowledge of audiences values
• opportune timing
• proper fit with situation

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Appeals

• Definition Approaches to or ways of persuading a
  reader or listener
• Aristotle listed three appeals
• Logos
• Pathos
• Ethos

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Logos

• Appeal to logic or reason logical
• Very rarely effective in persuasion
• Reason is, and ought only to be, slave to the
  passions. David Hume

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Common Logical Appeals

• Incontrovertible, indisputable facts
• Statistics
• Syllogistic structure
• CAUTION Many appeals are clothed in logical
  apparel but are NOT pure reason.
• Evidence that relies on interpretation is not,
  strictly speaking, an appeal to logos.

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Ethos

• Appeal of the writers character, credibility,
  trustworthiness (ethical)
• Attempts to gain the respect of the audience
• Often appeals to shared valuesi.e., says Im
  one of you.

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Common Ethical Appeals

• Levels of diction how a writer/speaker chooses
  words to address a particular audience
• Citing authorities (e.g., Einstein)
• Appearing humble, down to earth
• Employing humor
• Alluding to cultural, religious, literary values
  held by the audience

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Pathos

• Appeal to emotion passionate (pathetic)
• Attempts to draw on an audiences pity, anger,
  hatred, etc.
• Powerful, truly persuasive speaking and writing
  is always filled with pathos!

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Common Emotional Appeals

• Dictionpeople, this is your WORD CHOICEit is
  WHAT you say!
• ImageryCan they see, hear, and taste your
  words?
• Metaphors/Figurative Language
• Syntax (especially if syntax supports
  meaning)this is HOW you say WHAT you say

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Using It All

• It is possibleeven preferablefor a writer or
  speaker to make multiple appeals at the same
  time.
• Use information about the rhetorical situation to
  analyze rhetoric question and to create your own
  arguments

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Purpose Statement to convince the audience that
oranges are better than apples.Introduction
Fresh fruit used to be considered a luxury of the
highest order. We used to depend upon the
immediate seasons and the surrounding
neighborhood. (PATHOS Tale of the "Sailor
Scurvy") (PATHOS Description of child with
disease)Preview Oranges are better than
apples.
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BodyA. (ETHOS) Doctors tell us that citrus
fruits are the best sources of vitamin C. I have
orange juice every morning and eat an orange for
an afternoon snack -- I haven't had a cold in a
year. My brother eats "an apple a day" and visits
the doctor regularly.B. (PATHOS) Oranges are
beautiful to look at, the color of sunrises and
sunsets. Oranges are succulent and delicious.
Apples bruise, oranges maintain consistency.C.
(LOGOS) Oranges stay fresher longer Oranges are
cheaper Oranges are easier to grow, can be
peeled by hand, can easily be made into juice.
Oranges quench thirst better and don't discolor
from the air.
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Conclusion Oranges are better than apples. They
are nutritious, succulent and accessible.
Reflecting the joy of the sun, oranges are
fruit-like symbols of hope.