Some Rhetorical Strategies...

A few weeks ago I posted some vocabulary words, which are honestly the only words I have found so far. I always have trouble with that sort of thing because I have a pretty big vocabulary to start with and I've gotten so used in my reading to charging right through unfamiliar words without stopping to note them. So I'll work more on that later. For now, I realized that I was happily working on implementing rhetorical strategies without ever having posted much about them here. So here is a list of the major ones I have noticed so far:

1. METHODS OF ARGUMENT:

a) Ethos--this is an appeal to the identity of the speaker/writer. They are establishing "who they are" so that audiences will know that when the award-winning Russian history professor lectures on Russian history, they can probably rely on what he says. Ethos really should open an argument, because it will assure people that your later arguments are authoritative. You can also establish the ethos of people you quote. For example, in my paper on the public school system, I had almost no ethos of my own to present. I wasn't an authority. However, I balanced that by carefully noting the identity of who I was quoting. This wasn't just a quote from Bill the concerned parent, it was a quote from the Horace Mann, father of American public education.

b) Pathos--this is an appeal to emotion. Just because pathos is often used opposite of humor doesn't mean that rhetorical pathos has to relate to negative emotion--sadness, for example. It sometimes does--a politician telling stories of families whose sons have died in the war, for example. However, pathos could also appeal to emotions like patriotism or nostalgia. In a sense of strict rhetoric, pure pathos is a weak method of argument. However, when presented to ordinary people, it is often very effective.

c) Logos--this is an appeal to logic--citing facts or statistics, for example. If used truthfully, logos can be a very powerful argument. A startling statistic can stun people into listening, can make them rethink their presuppositions. However, one of the downfalls of logos appears if the speaker/writer forgets that he is addressing a crowd of emotional humans. Pure logos, lists of facts and numbers, will often cause people to blank out if they do not have an emotion, a personal connection, to tag it to. Therefore, logos and pathos work really well together if combined in the right fashion.

2. ARTFUL LANGUAGE:

You can use ethos, pathos, and logos up one side and down the other, but your method will detract from your meaning if you ignore the artful employment of language. Part of this comes simply from knowing your mechanics: say "there ain't no reason for babies to be aborted", and you've just lost your audience. There are two other extra tools, however, that people will not be able to positively identify in your arguments--unless they are trying purposefully--but which will leave a gaping hole if you don't employ them.

a) Schemes--schemes are types of artful syntax. Syntax is the way you lay out a sentence--should you try flipping your subject and verb around, should you add your modifying phrases before or after the key idea, should you ask a rhetorical question. All of these methods and more can really add to your argument. Shaking up your syntax is a lot better than saying "I am Mike. I oppose abortion. Abortion is evil. Voting for abortion is not Christian." Take for an example the conclusion to John McCain's acceptance speech. He utilized a string of hortative (exorting) sentences, which got everyone all excited and gave him a great ending.

b) Tropes--tropes are types of artful diction. Most poetic divices--simile, metaphor, hyperbole, alliteration, euphony, etc.--fall into this category. You can pack a lot more punch with a simile than with a simple statement; that's just the nature of people. Be careful, however, not to overuse these. Alliteration might sound lovely, but encouraging people to "alertly abolish an abominable act of abortion against all argument" will not go over particularly well.

Well, these some of the key rhetorical strategies, for now. Same time, same station, in a couple weeks, ladies and gentlemen.