review: “purpose”

• Why does the author exist? What is the author’s purpose? Why is the author creating a message?

• All texts are characterized by at least one form of persuasion:– To persuade the reader to agree (argue)– To persuade the reader to feel (entertain)– To persuade the reader to believe (inform)

(this is the prologue slide…)

What you will be able to do• Define “rhetoric” and the components of

the rhetorical situation: “author,” “audience,” “text,” “subject,” and “context”

• Define “form” and “content” as related to texts, and determine whether they are in agreement in a given situation

• Distinguish between a text’s content and its subject

• Define rhetorical appeals: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

• Compose textual content that appeals to the audience using ethos, pathos, and logos

These are the things you should be able to do after reviewing and internalizing this material.

(Still looks boring, doesn’t it?)

What is rhetoric?(Free Writing)

Rhetorical Situations and Appeals

(this looks like a pretty boring presentation, doesn’t it?)

What is it called when someone chooses his or her words and actions with very careful calculation in order to get somebody else to do what they want?

Manipulation?

Or Rhetoric?

(Or both?)

rhetoric is manipulation

Rhetoric: the work done in an effort to get the reader to do whatever the author wants.

(and sometimes we want things… like jobs, for example…)

components of the rhetorical situation

• Author: The creator of the message– rhetor, writer, speaker, musician, etc.

• Audience: To whom the message is directed– reader, listener, etc.

• Subject: What the message is about• Text: The form and content of the message• Context: The external factors that have caused

the creation of the text to come about

what’s going on right now?

Identify the components of the rhetorical situation in which you are participating at this very moment.

Author: Audience:Subject:Text:Context:

“text”

• A “text” is anything that contains a message, whether intended or unintended.

• Texts have two aspects: “form” and “content”• Form: the container of the message• Content: the message itself• Example: Lincoln’s Gettysburg address

– Form: Speech– Content: “Fourscore and seven years ago…”

form and content

• Texts are usually most effective when the form and content “agree.”

• Example:– Form: text message

– Content: “u r so dum wtf”

– Content: “Arms, and the man I sing, who, forc'd by fate, And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate, Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore.”

Not expected: this is the opening sentence from Virgil’s Aeneid, a masterpiece of Roman epic poetry.

This is a more common kind of content for a text message (and an appropriate response had someone texted you that other example).

A disagreement of form and content can have a humorous or otherwise literary effect, because the content isn’t what the reader is expecting.

This may work for creative endeavors like poetry, but in formal college and professional contexts it is not effective (unless you are a master, which in all likelihood you are not).

1. Describe the content that you would expect to find packaged in these textual forms. 1. A private journal entry

2. A bumper sticker3. An office memo4. A mathematics textbook5. A pop song6. A political campaign ad

content v. subject

• These elements are clearly related, but are different in a crucial way.

• The subject is what the text is about.• The content is whatever is in the text itself.• Gettysburg address:– Form: Speech– Content: “Fourscore and seven years ago…”– Subject: Keeping democracy and the union alive

rhetorical appealsWays to make a text more appealing• Ethos (ethic)– emphasize credibility– demonstrate upstanding morals

• Pathos (empathy)– play to the values/preferences of the audience– use humor, fear, cuteness, pride, etc.

• Logos (logic)– explain with impressive reasoning– present hard evidence: facts, statistics, etc.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”

In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., helped to organize a nonviolent campaign in opposition to racial segregation. Although the protests were by and large nonviolent, there were some altercations between demonstrators and authorities. Things escalated and, ultimately, the Birmingham Police Department responded in force with police dogs and high-pressure water jets.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Dr. King was arrested along with 50 other protesters, from teenagers to the elderly.

His participation in these active protests was criticized by a

group of eight white ministers, who said that the reforms should take place wholly within the courts and that no laws should be broken.

During his eight-day stay in jail, King wrote an open letter in response to the ministers defending his actions and outlining the ethical, emotional, and logical justification he saw in civil disobedience and nonviolent activism.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”In groups of 2-3, identify the rhetorical components:

Author:

Audience:

Subject:

Text (Form):

Context:

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”

In groups of 2-3, go through the provided paragraphs from Dr. King’s letter and identify passages in which he appeals to the audience via ethos, pathos, and logos.

How to Be Appealing

1. Identify Author, Audience, Subject, and Context

2. Name a form for the text that would be appropriate

3. Provide content for the text that appeals to the following:

Example:The parent of a fourth grader is

unhappy with a disciplinary measure undertaken by one of the teachers at the elementary school.

a. Ethos (ethic)b. Pathos (empathy)c. Logos (logic)

Author: ParentAudience: TeacherSubject: Harsh Disciplinary MeasureContext: Elementary SchoolText (Form): Face-to-Face Meeting

How to Be Appealing

1. Identify Author, Audience, Subject, and Context

2. Name a form for the text that would be appropriate

3. Provide content for the text that appeals to the following:

Example:The parent of a fourth grader is

unhappy with a disciplinary measure undertaken by one of the teachers at the elementary school.

a. Ethos (ethic)b. Pathos (empathy)c. Logos (logic)

Ethos: “In my experience raising five children, I have found that revoking certain privileges is always more effective than isolation.”

Pathos: “As a parent yourself, I’m sure that you can understand how distressing it is to come home to work and find your child traumatized by an experience at school.”

Logos: “The severity of the punishment was far more than what was justified by the original misbehavior.”

How to Be Appealing

1. Identify Author, Audience, Subject, and Context

2. Name a form for the text that would be appropriate

3. Provide content for the text that appeals to the following:

1. A college student attempting to get a B turned into an A on an essay.

2. A politician seeking support from low-income urban voters.

3. A parent trying to convince his/her child to follow a particular career path.

a. Ethos (ethic)b. Pathos (empathy)c. Logos (logic)

Rhetorical Situations and Appeals by Matthew Bloom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.