Kristen's presentation from July 26 2012

1. How do Arguments Work?
Introduction to Rhetoric

2. Adapted from Dynamic Argument
Lamm & Everett, 2007
WHAT IS AN ARGUMENT?

3. A Moment with Monty Python
Listen to their discussion of an argument.

4. Activity
 What is an argument? What makes an argument
successful or effective? What detracts from an
argument?
 Consider the clip we just watched.
8 minutes

5. An Argument is NOT…
 A verbal duel
 Quibbling
 A shouting match
 An altercation

6. An Argument is Not Quite…
 A one-sided
presentation of
beliefs
A reader relies on a
writer to present a
fair account of all
important aspects of
the issue being
discussed
 A series of
contradictions

7. An Argument IS…
 An organized presentation of ideas intended
to change the way one thinks or acts
 The desired change is presented as a claim
and supported by reasons

8. Elements of an Argument
CLAIM: SUPPORT:
An thesis; an assertion that Reasons you provide to
needs support from specific convince an audience to accept
reasons to be accepted as true your claim
EVIDENCE:
Information that proves
or strongly suggests
the claim is true or valid
EXPLANATION:
Clarification, interpretati
on, analysis, synthesis,
and evaluation of
evidence

9. Truth and Belief
 Truth... Is often subjective; "the values we
hold true are largely constructed by our
cultural beliefs" (10). Our response to issues
or arguments is shaped by what we value
and believe to be true.

10. Activity: Truth and Claims
From Page 10
 In groups of 2 or 3, list the claim that particular people make. What is the
belief that underlies each claim?
1. Who is responsible for the obesity epidemic among
children?
2. If people have large numbers of children because they
use fertility drugs, should they be able to receive welfare
to support their huge families?
3. What, if anything, should be done about people who
hire undocumented workers (illegal immigrants) and pay
them at rates below the minimum wage?
4. Should people pay a "congestion tax" for driving their
cars in overcrowded cities?
5. Are some poor people being oppressed by society, or
are they ultimately responsible for their own station in life
because of the choices they make?

11. Different Audiences Require Different
Arguments
 When analyzing an argument, we must
consider the targeted AUDIENCE...
 Some audiences can have different or varied
beliefs
 Some audiences will share similar beliefs and
concerns
 It is important to identify the audience, as
claims are tailored to reach a particular
group of people.

12. Your Assignment
 Write a 1,000 to 1,500 word essay analyzing the
rhetorical strategies found in your ad/
commercial/song, etc.
 Focus on the techniques or strategies that the
author uses to appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos.
Your analysis should discuss the effectiveness of
the argument, not the author’s views on the
subject.

13. Expected Outcomes
 By analyzing the rhetorical strategies of ads/
commercials/ songs, you will learn how to apply
several skills that you can use to:
 Understand social and political arguments presented in
the media in your daily life
 Analyze the different rhetorical structures and
techniques in source material
 Apply these rhetorical strategies to your own writing
(particularly in Project 3)

14. RHETORICAL APPEALS &
STRATEGIES

15. Rhetorical Appeals:
Authority, Emotion & Logic
Ethos
Pathos “Reasonable people can be
persuaded in several ways—
appealing to their trust in
Logos authority, their emotions, and their
logic…Seldom is just one of these
approaches adequate to convince
an audience to accept a claim.
Instead, all can be brought into play
when arguments are made” (12).
Argument

16. Authority (Ethos)
 A key component in an argument is establishing
the credibility of the author; if the author isn’t
credible, why should we bother to read?
 Authors establish authority in two ways:
 Research
 Tone

17. Emotion (Pathos)
 Authors also attempt to make an emotional
connection with the reader
 Emotional appeals create sympathy between the
reader and the writer
 This connection can also reinforce the reader’s
notion of the author’s credibility
 In creating an emotional appeal, authors use a
variety of rhetorical strategies
 Activity

18. Logic (Logos)
 Authors also use logic to support their claims.
 Logical appeals include:
 Factual information, such as statistics and data
 Definitions
 Inductive reasoning
 Deductive reasoning
 Hypothetical situations
 Analogies

19. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

20. Activity: Evaluating Media Arguments
Based on these two advertisements...
 What issue is being considered?
 Who is the target audience for each ad? What
does each ad suggest about its audience's
race, lifestyle, income level, and education level?
 In "The Enforcer," why is it significant that the
woman is in the foreground? What is significant
about the placement of the boy? What does each
facial expression suggest? Background?
 In "Protect Our Children," why is the girl smiling? It takes more than a hero to keep kids away
What does this suggest about beliefs regarding from marijuana. It takes parents strong
freedom of choice and individuality? How is this enough to make rules and back them up. A
different from claims made about freedom of little discipline today could make all the
choice in "The Enforcer" ad? difference tomorrow. You are more powerful
than you know.
 What is each ad's claim?
 What evidence supports the claim?
 How does this ad use ethos, pathos, and logos to
sell the claim?

21. Which type of appeal does this ad use?

22. Which type of appeal does this
image use?

23. Which type of appeal does this ad use?

24. Visual Rhetoric
 According to the OWL @ Purdue, "Visual rhetoric
has been used to mean anything from the use of
images as argument, to the arrangement of
elements on a page for rhetorical effect, to the use of
typography (fonts), and more.”
 “Visual rhetoric is a form of communication that
uses images to create meaning or construct an
argument” (stanford.edu).
 Your photo essay needs to use visual rhetoric to
create a persuasive visual piece that makes a certain
argument

25. Text is so highly visual that its visual nature and power is often
invisible.
RHETORIC OF TEXT
Adapted from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/Visual_Rhetoric.pdf

26. Textual Personalities
 Even with just these four type faces, we can see
different personalities, levels of formality, and even
hints ethos.
 Which of these seems the most authoritative?

27. Textual Personalities
 While the first two fonts may not jump out at you as having a whole lot of
cultural associations; that’s partly by design—the fonts are deliberately
nondescript, and thus are use quite commonly. Not so with the fonts used for
“Medieval History” and “Bigfoot Captured!”. The “Medieval History” text looks
like our cultural conception of Medieval script. That is, the font looks almost like
it was hand-written. Likewise, we’ve all seen tabloid papers in the checkout
lanes of the supermarket, announcing in bold, loud text all sorts of incredible
news.

28. Textual Personalities
 Again, the first two examples may not jump out at you. But if “In deepest sympathy” were on the
front of a sympathy card, it would seem cold, callous, impersonal. With the “Lafayette Teen Center,”
that font face may be appropriate in, say, a fundraising drive, but probably not for promotional
materials to get teens to come there off of the streets (for that, we’d want a font that was
exciting, more “youthful” in appearance). The “Chemistry Lab Report” example might seem OK at
first glance (it’s formal, it evokes a sense of history with the word “chemistry”), but it fails
rhetorically because it does not acknowledge the expectations of the general audience of chemists
or chemistry instructors. Taken in that light, in fact, the text for “Chemistry Lab Report” looks
ridiculous. Likewise with “Museum of Natural History”; we still see the tabloid headline in it, as
though “Overtaken by Mutants” were the words we’d expect next!

29. Textual Personalities: Serif vs. Sans
Serif
Serif Font Sans Serif Font
Serif Font Sans Serif Font
Serif Font Sans Serif Font
Serif Font Sans Serif Font
Serif Font Sans Serif Font
 Fonts with serif (the little shapes on the tails of the
letters) are considered more formal than fonts
without. This is why you use Times New Roman.

30. Headers vs. Body Text
Again, the first two examples may not jump out at you. But if “In deepest
Lunch Menu sympathy” were on the front of a sympathy card, it would seem
cold, callous, impersonal.With the “Lafayette Teen Center,” that font face may be
appropriate in, say, a fundraising drive, but probably not for promotional materials
to get teens to come there off of the streets (for that, we’d want a font that was
exciting, more “youthful” in appearance).
 While cool fonts may be appropriate for a section header, they
may not work out so well for the body of the text.

31. Working with Color: Contrasting Colors
Which of these blocks is easiest to read?
Black text on white Aqua text on burgundy Burgundy text on aqua
background background background
Blue text on red Light aqua text on dark Dark Burgundy text on
background burgundy background light aqua background
 Contrast is key. As you select colors for your text and
your background, consider the contrast you create
with your choices. Consider the colors themselves
and the shade as you make your selection.

32. Working with Color: Contrasting
Colors
 Complementary colors (those opposite on the
wheel) create contrast. Be careful to adjust the
shade if you pick direct complements.

33. Working with Color: Emotional Impact
Genocide in Darfur Free Mani-
Genocide in Free Mani-
Pedis!
Darfur Pedis!
STOP!
STOP!
 As you work with colors, try to pick hues that
are appropriate to your subject matter.

34. Images often make as powerful a statement as words.
Look at the following images and share your reaction
to each. What is effective? Ineffective?
RHETORIC OF IMAGES

36. 1. 7,747 per year according to
the
US Department of State.
2. 45,000 per year. Figure from
Harvard Medical School and
Cambridge Health Alliance.

40. Silk chiffon dress. Black dress and
Glove with leather- scarf
in silk chiffon.
reinforced palm and Leather belt with
fur interior. chrome-iron buckle.
THERE ARE SOME BRANDS NO ONE SHOULD WEAR.
Domestic violence is a crime.

43. Every kid on the street has a story.
Many of the homeless youth on our
streets have escaped from homes
filled with abuse and violence.
Directions is a 24 hour resource
center where they can find the
support and tools they need to get
off the streets for good.
Helpinghomelessyouth.ca

45. In India every year thousands of
girls get killed just because they
are girls.

46. My camp is MY home, and the men here
are part of my family. I don’t want to let
them die at the hands of the militiamen.
So I made a DECISION; in order to keep
the men out of danger, I get the firewood
myself. That IS my gift FOR them; to face
RAPE everyday.

50. “By putting pen to paper, you can help end armed conflict in Darfur and Eastern Chad.
Join thousands of others around the world in writing to Sudanese MPS and asking them
(pleading with them if we must) to put an end to the atrocities being committed in these
countries. To find out how you can make a difference, visit
http://www.amnesty.org/en/armed-conflict."

51. In Sri Lanka, not all soldiers are
grown men.

54. No one can keep us from seeing.

55. Overpopulation, violence, humiliations, lack of psychological and medical care, separation from
family, lack of education…Does prison really work for reintegration? Take action. Support a

56. He’s done nothing. He’s just showing Amnesty’s phone number. Discriminating is not human. Denounce it.

58. “Help us to cure the victims of cosmetic tests.
Send a sms to 48585 to give 1 euro and to contribute creating a rehab
center.”

59. A rare SNOW LEOPARD coat:
Outer: 5 back skin pieces
stitched with 7 neck skin pieces
for maximum comfort.
Inner: 13 chest skin pieces for
silky-soft feel.
Bring out the real you, for
JUST £9,999

60. 1. Flip to the last page
of your composition
notebook.
2. Title that page
“Quickwrite #1:
Analyzing the use of
ethos, pathos, and
logos in an image”
3. In at least 50
words, analyze/
evaluate the use of
ethos, pathos, and
logos in the image to
the right.