RhetoricRhetorical Triangle, SOAPSTone, and Appeals

Rhetoric

• “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion”

• The art of finding ways to persuade an audience

• Can be in a variety of forms: text, pictures, films, etc.

The Rhetorical Situation

• Occasion, Exigence, Context, and Purpose

• Occasion-the time and place the text was written or spoken. (Like a setting in literature).

• Exigence-an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak

• Context-the circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding the text.

• Purpose-the goal the speaker wants to achieve

Rhetorical Triangle (Aristotelian Triangle)• Relationship among the speaker, audience, and subject

• Speaker--the person or group who creates a text• Persona- “mask,” the role the speaker plays when delivering a text or speech

• Was a persona used in your memoirs? How do you know? Who did the narrator/speaker sound like to you?

• Audience—listener, viewer, or reader of the text or performance• Multiple audiences

• Primary--those who immediately are influenced and act, persuaded by the rhetor’s persuasion. They are the mediators of change.

• Secondary--persuaded by the primary audience either via direct persuasion or osmossis.

• Tertiary audience--general public who receive the information whether they will respond or not.

• Subject-the topic, not the goal (purpose)

Speaker

Audience

Text

Subject

SOAPSTone

• Subject

• Occasion

• Audience

• Purpose

• Speaker

• Tone

Tone

• The speaker’s attitude toward his/her subject matter

Rhetorical Appeals

• Aristotle

• Techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling.

• Ethos (character)

• Logos (reason)

• Pathos (emotion)

Ethos (Character)

• Credibility and trustworthiness

• Emphasize shared values between the speaker and audience

• Reputation

• Building ethos• Explaining background or emphasizing shared values

Logos (Reason)

• Clear, ration ideas

• Counterarguments—anticipating objections or opposing views

• Concession/refutation

Pathos (Emotion)

• Emotions, values, desires, hopes, fears, and prejudices

• Figurative language, personal anecdotes, and vivid images• “Two Ways of Seeing a River”—What methods does Twain use to

evoke pathos?

• Also largely created through diction (word choice).