R H E T O R I C A L A N A L Y S I S B A C K G R O U N D I N F O R M A T I O N

THE FALLACIES OF RHETORIC

WHAT ARE THE “HOLES” IN THIS ARGUMENT?

WHAT ARE THE “HOLES” IN THIS ARGUMENT?

WHAT IS A FALLACY?

• Fallacy: an incorrect

argument in logic and

rhetoric resulting in a lack of

validity, or more generally, a

lack of soundness

• In other words, a fallacy is a

strategy that someone uses

in a piece of rhetoric to

persuade the listener or

reader, masking him or her

from the real truth

• We are going to be learning

about 26 fallacies

LEARNING GOAL

Identify and describe the

fallacies of rhetoric.

APPEALS OF PREJUDICE OR STEREOTYPES

• Judging someone’s credibility by race, religion, sex

or other categorization rather than by the facts

• Example:

APPEALS FOR SYMPATHY

• Using sympathy instead of facts to back a

statement

• Example:

APPEALS OF TRADITION AND CUSTOM

• Justifying arguments with traditional and customary

excuses rather than facts

• Example:

TESTIMONIAL

• Opinion of a well known person or subject when he

or she has no expertise to talk about it

• Example:

BANDWAGON

• Everyone else is doing something, so should you!

• Example:

APPEALS TO APPEARANCE (SEX APPEAL)

• Use vanity and good-looking people to persuade

others

• Example:

CARD STACKING

• Presenting only one side of an issue; one point of

view in favor of or against

• Example:

DEDUCTION

• Generalizing the whole to specific parts

• Example:

CHECK POINT!

• On your sheet, there are eight ads.

• Work with the people around you to match the ads

up with the appropriate fallacy!

EQUIVOCATION

• Using two dissimilar situations and comparing them

as the same to persuade

• Example:

EXIGENCY

• Tries to convince that there is a good reason to do

something in a short amount of time.

Consequences will result if too much time is taken.

• Example:

FLAG WAVING

• Stars and stripes or you are not patriotic

• Example:

FREE BARGAIN

• A technique of making someone believe they are

getting something for nothing

• Example:

GLITTERING GENERALITY

• A word or phrase used to draw a positive response

but to give no information

• Example:

CHERRY-PICKING

• pointing to individual cases or data that seem to

confirm a particular position, while ignoring a

significant portion of related cases or data that may

contradict that position

• Example:

APPEAL TO NOVELTY

• The idea that newer is always better

• Opposite of the appeals to tradition fallacy

• Example:

INNUENDO

• Hints indirectly that wrongdoing is present without

proof

• Example: When Regina George calls a guy’s

girlfriend’s mother pretending to be Planned

Parenthood with test results. This implies that the

woman’s daughter is pregnant.

https://www.youtube.com/wa

tch?v=_K4L9K8oUZ8

CHECK POINT!

• You will be divided into groups

• Each group will be given a situation described on a

slip of paper.

• Your group must figure out which fallacy this

situation belongs to.

OF COURSE GLOBAL WARMING DOESN’T EXIST! THERE WAS THIS ONE

STUDY DONE IN THIS OBSCURE JOURNAL THAT PROVES IT NOT TO BE TRUE. IGNORE THE THOUSANDS OF

OTHER ARTICLES THAT PROVE OTHERWISE.

CHEVY CONSTANTLY ADVERTISES THE FACT THAT THEY ARE AMERICAN AND

THEREFORE ARE SUPERIOR TO THE EUROPEAN CAR COMPANIES; IF YOU

DON’T BY THEIR PRODUCT, YOU AREN’T PATRIOTIC.

AN AD THAT PLACES A BOTTLE OF COKE STRATEGICALLY AROUND A

BUNCH OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

THE ICE CREAM PLACE DOWN THE STREET OFFERS COMPLIMENTARY ICE CREAM CONES! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS FILL OUT THEIR 20-MINUTE SURVEY

AND IT’S ALL YOURS!

THE ADVERTISING AGENCY MAKES THE EXECUTIVE DECISION TO MAKE A

POSTER WITH ONE OF THE PLANES FROM THE AIRLINE THEY ARE

ADVERTISING ACCOMPANIED BY ONE WORD: RELAXATION.

A SALESWOMAN CONVINCES A CUSTOMER TO BUY THE PAIR OF SHOES

THAT VERY SECOND, AS THEY ARE SELLING OUT FAST AND WILL

PROBABLY NOT BE THERE IN THE NEXT TWENTY MINUTES.

THE LAWYER ASKS THE WITNESS IF HE HAD HAD A DRINK IN THE LAST

TWENTY FOUR HOURS TO IMPLY THAT THE WITNESS IS AN ALCOHOLIC AND,

THEREFORE, NOT TRUSTWORTHY.

THE RESTAURANT TRIES TO GET MORE CUSTOMERS BY ADVERTISING THAT

THEY ARE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. THEY ALSO GIVE THEIR RESTAURANT A

BRAND NEW NAME, EVEN THOUGH THEY SERVE THE SAME FOOD.

JUST PLAIN FOLKS

• To use blue collar and middle class values rather

than the facts

• Example:

NAME-CALLING

• Labeling someone or something good or bad

without sufficient evidence

• Example:

RED HERRING

• a speaker attempts to distract an audience by

deviating from the topic at hand by introducing a

separate argument the speaker believes is easier to

speak to

• Example:

OVERSIMPLIFICATION

• Easier said than done

• Example:

POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC

• After this, therefore, because of this

• Example:

REPETITION

• Repeating statements to persuade

• Example:

SUBSTITUTION OF PRESTIGE

• Avoiding facts by thinking well of something

because of clout or status

• Example:

SUBSTITUTION OF RIDICULE OR HUMOR

• Not using facts but making a joke or derogatory

comment to discredit

• Example:

SLIPPERY SLOPE

• The idea that if you allow X to happen, then Y will

happen, and eventually Z will happen

• Example:

VALUE CHARGED APPEALS

• Use of highly charged emotional words to persuade

• Example:

CHECK POINT!

• Each group will be assigned a fallacy

• Your group must work to come up with a situation or

type of ad/ argument that is an example of this

fallacy

• One you think of one, place it on an index card with

your names on the other side

• We will go through each and try and work together

to guess which fallacy they represent.