Rhetoric Notes

Rhetoric: The art of

speaking
and
writing
effectively.

Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle:

SUBJECT: The subject is the

general topic, content, and ideas contained in the text.

This can usually be stated in a few words or a phrase.
● The subjects of texts are ↴

frequently abstract:
● the right to die, racism, poverty, conformity, cloning, global warming, etc.
AUDIENCE:

To whom is this text directed?

● It’s not enough to say: “Anyone who reads it.”

● ↴
It is one individual, a group, many groups?
 ● What assumptions can you make about the intended audience?
● How might the intended audience have been similar or different than you?

SPEAKER: It is not enough to simply name the speaker or author.

● ↴

Whose voice is telling the story?

● ↴

What assumptions can you make about the speaker?

● (e.g. age, gender, class, occupation, emotional state)?

● Remember that the author and the speaker are not necessarily the same, and that the author
may tell the story from more than one point of view.
● ↴
What does the speaker believe?
● Do not assume that the author believes what the speaker believes. If the text is non-fiction,
include important facts about the speaker that might help you make judgements about his or
her point of view.

Rhetorical Appeals: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

ETHOS PATHOS LOGOS

▪ An ▪ An ▪ An
appeal appeal appeal
▪ based on the ▪ based on the ▪ based on
authority emotions logic
▪ of the writer/speaker’s ▪ of the audience ▪ and rationality
image, reputation, or
character ▪ Emotions such as anger, ▪ These arguments are
pity, and fear (and their often based on
▪ If the audience
opposites) probabilities
believes _____________________
▪ a writer/speaker has a ↴ powerfully influence our rather than certain truth
rational judgments ▪ ↴
good image
Convince
or
▪ Example: a fundraiser for ▪ the audience to
reputation,
leukemia research uses
images of children accept your
it is more likely to believe what he
or she says undergoing chemotherapy assumptions as
▪ Example: actors, musicians, in its advertisements probably true
and athletes endorse
products like make-up and
Gatorade
▪
Expose questionable
assumptions

↴
in someone else’s
argument to make yours
more attractive
▪ Example: a clinical study
shows that 80% of people
feel better after receiving a
hug, therefore hugs make
people feel better