Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the use and study of spoken, visual as well as a written language. It works on investigating the use of language to help in organizing and maintaining coordinative behavior, produce change, construct identities and meanings, create knowledge, and mediate power. In the opinion of rhetoricians, language is constitutive, dialogic, and thought-connected and is integrated by social economic and cultural practices (Hoefer and Sandy 140)
The term rhetoric is also the art of persuasion in general. In classical rhetoric, three necessary appeals are used in persuading the audience.
- It relies on the demanding use of reason and logic. Arguments that are based on logos employ inductive and/or deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning applies the general rule of concluding a case or situation. Inductive reasoning generalizes and extrapolates from a particular case.
- Appeals which are based on character, creditability, and authority. When credibility is built with the audience, the writer or speaker builds trust with their audience. Ethos can be used to try and stress the personal reputation and credentials of a speaker or writer. Speakers, as well as writers who use ethos in strengthening their argument, should avoid an attack on an opponent.
- Appeals which are based on evoking emotional reactions from audiences. The evidence in sadness is anecdotal or personal. Also, the argument’s success depends on the understanding of the audience’s beliefs and values by the author, enabling him/her to manipulate the audience.
Building a strong argument requires the use of the three primary rhetorical appeals. A case that lacks logos will lack continuity, thus, damage the credibility of the speaker. The audience is, therefore, likely to get confused and bored, which are no adverse reactions to emotion. Also, if an argument is weak in ethos, it results in the creation of distrust from the audiences, which affects one’s ability to follow the order and reason of speech which is the logos. It also results in an adverse emotional reaction.
Arguments with weak emotion cause boredom, and also leads to the questioning of the speaker’s credibility. It thus makes it hard to maintain interest, affecting the logic of speech. The arguments which are too aggressive and has emotion are also problematic. All these three appeals have to work together to address the audience in the best way possible.
Discourse is a way of using language differently based on the audience, purpose, and situation. These factors determine a user’s use of different jargon, terminology, or slang to maintain a connection with the audience and also succeed in the proper delivery of their presentation (McClish 6). Discourse misuse on the basis of situation and audience can make the speaker feel embarrassed for their audience.
The relationship existing between the situations of writing, the three main rhetoric appeals, and discourse use is vital in the creation and delivery of a compelling argument, speech, or report. Focusing on these basic principles in the writing and design stages can help in building a map or frame the evidence, which is easily adaptable to multiple audiences.
Works Cited
Hoefer, Rolf L., and Sandy E. Green Jr. “A rhetorical model of institutional decision making: The role of rhetoric in the formation and change of legitimacy judgments.” Academy of Management Review 41.1 (2016): 130-150.
McClish, Glen. “RWS 200 Rhetoric of Written Argument in Context, Section 21.” (2016).