the+art+of+rhetoric

The Art of Rhetoric:
 * Aristotle’s Persuasive Appeals

Rhetoric:
 * Dictionary: the art of speaking and writing effectively
 * Aristotle: the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion.
 * Appeals: How the writer/speaker tries to convince the audience.

Logos Pathos
 * An appeal to logic or reason
 * Academic papers, fact-filled reports are logos-driven
 * The reader must ask whether or not the logic follows. Are the statistics skewed or unrepresentative?
 * Ex.: 4 out of 5 dentists use this toothpaste?
 * Which dentists? Do they work for the company?
 * Did you really only ask 5 dentists?
 * Appeal based on emotion.
 * Most advertising is pathos-driven.
 * Attempts to persuade by stirring the emotions of the audience
 * Love, pity, sorrow, fear, greed, lust, etc.
 * Does not concern the truth of the argument.
 * The reader needs to consider, “Is the writer simply ‘playing’ me?”

Ethos
 * An appeal based on the character or reputation of the author, speaker, or source (where do you see it?)
 * Effectively, “I’m a great guy, so you should believe what I’m saying.”
 * Ethos does not concern itself with the veracity (truth) of the argument, just the credibility (is it believable?) of its source.
 * Reader needs to consider whether or not the source is credible.