Everything’s an Argument

“Dispute it like a man.” Macduff responds gruffly, “But I must also feel it as a man.” (Mac. 4.3. 219-21)

The Rhetorical Triangle-(right side)

Topic/Message(Logical Appeals)

Speaker/Writer(Ethical Appeals)

Audience/Readers

(Emotional Appeals)

Pathos-Emotional Argument (left side)

We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.

▪ Winston Churchill, “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”

Pathos- Defined-(Right side) Powerful tools to influence people to

think and believe Words and images that evoke certain

emotions in people Moving audiences to sympathize

with ideas that connect to feelings Making people aware of how much

they owe to others

Using Emotions to Build Bridges-(Right side)

Using emotion to connect with readers to ensure them that you understand their experiences

Writing about matters that readers regard as sensitive-before they trust you, they will want assurances

Using personal experiences to connect with readers

Build Bridges Example-Left Side

The first time I opened Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation, I was dining alone at the Palm, trying to enjoy a rib-eye steak cooked medium-rare. If this sounds like a good recipe for cognitive dissonance (if not indigestion), that was sort of the idea. Preposterous as it might seem to supporters of animal rights, what I was doing was tantamount to reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin on a plantation in the Deep South in 1852.

▪ Michael Pollan, “An Animal’s Place”

Using emotions to sustain an argument (right side)

Emotional appeals to make logical claims stronger and memorable

Using humor to put readers at ease

Presenting arguments in explicit terms

Practice Time-Left Side

“Just do it.” (Nike) “Think different.” (Apple) “Reach out and touch someone.”

(AT&T) “Yes we can!” (Presidential slogan) “Country First.” (Presidential slogan) “By any means necessary.” (Malcolm

X) “Have it your way.” (Burger King) “It’s everywhere you want to be.”

(Visa)

Ethos- (Ethical)Character Argument-Right SideThrough the reputation a character brings to the table

Through the language, evidence, and images characters use

Appeals or arguments about character often turn on claims… (right side)

What does he know about the subject?

What experiences does she have that make her especially knowledgeable?

Why should I pay attention to this writer?

You as the writer have to be able to answer questions like these when you offer an argument.

Claiming Authority-Right side

Bold and PersonalAttaching academic and professional titles to their names

Mentioning their employers and the number of years that they’ve worked in a given field

How much command a writer has over a subject

Claiming Authority- Example (left side)It is certainly accurate that a number of people do enter higher education poorly prepared. And we do need to think hard about what the current push for “college for all” truly means, how it can be enacted in an effective way, and whether or not it offers the best remedy for past educational inequality. These are important questions. Articles like “In the basement of the Ivory Tower” don’t help us answer them.

~Mike Rose, Mike Rose’s blog

Establishing Credibility…(right side) Speaks to a writer’s honesty A sense of humor Your writing has to visually convey your

message effectively Connect your own beliefs to core

principles that are well established and widely respected

Language that shows respect for readers Acknowledge any exceptions,

qualifications, or weaknesses

Coming Clean about Motives…(right side)The heart of the ethical argument!Diverse views and quick to point out

unmentioned affiliationsCommon in political circles

Motives Example-Left sideI profess, in sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.

Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal

Ethos Practice-Left side

Oprah Winfrey (TV Talk Show) Kate Winslet (Actress) Colin Powell (political figure) Sarah Palin (political figure) Jeff Gordon (NASCAR) Marge Simpson-(The Simpsons)

Logos (Facts and Reason) Argument- Right Side

Arguments based on: Facts, Evidence, and Reasons

Providing Hard EvidenceFactsStatisticsSurveys and PollsTestimonies and NarrativesUsing Reason and Common SenseCultural Assumptions and ValuesLogical Structures: Degree, Analogies, and

Precedent

Logos-Providing Hard Evidence (right side)

Facts and TestimonyColumns of dataSupplies the detailsStatement + ProofClaim + Supporting Evidence

Logos-Facts-(right side)

Make strong argumentsCompellingAccurately and ReliableGood Information

Logos-Statistics/Surveys and Polls – (Right side) Statistics:

Figures lie and liars figure Contains a grain of truth

Surveys and Polls Popularity of an idea or proposal Provide persuasive appeals Majority opinion offers a compelling

warrant

Logos-Testimonies and Narratives/ Reason and Common Sense- (Right Side)

Human experiencesPersonal experiencesFormal Logic: (Reasoning)

All human beings are mortal Socrates is a human being Therefore, Socrates is mortal

Logos-Cultural Assumptions and Values- (right side)

Shared ValuesCulture and HistoryFairness and EquitySociety

Logos-Practice-(left side) The bigger they are, the harder they

fall. Drunk drivers are involved in more

than 50 percent of traffic deaths. DNA tests of skin found under the

victim’s fingernails suggest that the defendant was responsible for the assault.

A psychologist testified that teenage violence could not be blamed on video games.