Rhetoric Notes

•What makes

Old Major’s

speech to the

animals on page

4 effective?

Old Major’s Speech

►Use of term “Comrades” repeated

►Pitting animals against their enemies – humans (Unity)

►Idealizing the future without humans

Rhetoric

►the art of speaking or writing effectively or persuasively

Aristotle’s Appeals

►Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories—

Ethos

Pathos

Logos

Logos

►(Logical)

►refers to the internal consistency of the message

►the clarity of the claim, the logic of its reasons, and the effectiveness of its supporting evidence.

►The impact of logos on an audience is sometimes called the argument's logical appeal.

►Human Trafficking

Pathos

►(Emotional)

►the emotional or motivational appeals

►vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details

►Audience will feel what the writer feels

►Celebrate dads!

Ethos

►(Credibility), or ethical appeal

►refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker

►conveyed through tone and style of the message and through the way the writer or speaker refers to differing views

►It can also be affected by the writer's reputation as it exists independently from the message

►What cigarette do you smoke doctor?

Quasi-Famous Speeches

►Lord of the Rings

►Video

►Titans

►Patriot

►Jerry Maguire

Rhetorical Devices

►Terms used to break down language to define what makes it effective and why

►This will be a review!

►Many of the literary terms you learned last year are the same ones used in persuasive writing.

Allusion

►short, informal reference to a famous person or event

►Relies on reader/listener to be familiar with the reference and hidden meaning. Used to stimulate ideas and associations.

Plan ahead: it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark. –Richard Cushing

Parallelism ►-repetition of grammatically similar words,

phrases, clauses, or sentences to emphasize a point or stir the emotions of a reader/listener. Used to create a sense of rhythm, balance, and order in writing or a speech.

►Parallel construction is always a vital and powerful tool of oral communication; it makes your random ideas fit together better in the minds of your listeners.

The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.

Euphemism ►substitution of an agreeable or at

least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant.

►Examples of Euphemisms for stupid: A few fries short of a Happy Meal. The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's

dead. Other euphemisms: - you are being involuntarily separated - enhanced interrogation methods - economically disadvantaged

Repetition

►the repeating of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines. *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… We shall never surrender. -Churchill.

Metaphor

►compares two different things

►unlike a simile or analogy, a metaphor asserts that one thing is another thing.

►very frequently a metaphor is invoked by the to be verb:

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life." --John 6:35

Hyperbole ► deliberately exaggerates conditions for emphasis or

effect. ► should be carefully restricted / do not exaggerate

everything ► attention getter

There are a thousand reasons why more research is needed on solar energy.

I said "rare," not "raw." I've seen cows hurt worse than this get up and get well.

► Hyperbole is the most overused and overdone

rhetorical figure in the whole world (and that is no hyperbole); we are a society of excess and exaggeration.

Irony

►expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean another.

Rhetorical Question

►Question posed by the writer but not answered by the writer, because its answer is obvious

►It is used for effect, emphasis, or for drawing a concluding statement from the facts at hand.

. . . For if we lose the ability to perceive our faults, what is the good of living on? --Marcus Aurelius