Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Aristotle and Rhetoric

Better Essays
1609 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Aristotle and Rhetoric
Aristotle on Speaking and Rhetoric

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E) was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist. He is known as one of the greatest intellectual figures of all time. Aristotle covered most of the sciences and many of the arts. He has been called the father of modern science. The Rhetorical Triangle consists of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Like wise, the Canons of Rhetoric are broken down into five parts: Invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Aristotle’s work is thought to be the most important work on persuasion ever written. Rhetoric is using persuasion to effectively communicate in writing or speaking. In fact, we all use the Rhetorical Triangle and the Canons of Rhetoric in our everyday lives. Of the Rhetorical Triangle first is Ethos. Ethos is the appeal to the credibility of the speaker. For example, if I were to stand up and give a speech in front of the country, there would be a need for an introduction as to who I am. Otherwise, people would just sit and wonder why on earth I am talking to them and why on earth they should listen. There is a need to establish my credibility and tell everyone who I am. On the other hand, if President Obama were to get up and speak virtually nobody would question who he was. He has established credibility because he is the President of The United States. Whether you like him or not, you don’t have to question why you should listen to him. (At least most of the time) Whether you have to establish your credibility or you have some by a position you hold, the people in the audience will not hear your message without it. Pathos is the second part of the triangle. Pathos is the appeal to your emotions, values, and beliefs. For instance, if you hear the statistic that 75 percent of the people in Africa are starving, you might think wow, that is a lot of people and continue on your way. On the contrary, if you see images of people emaciated and suffering or little kids belly’s that are bloated, and people eating out of piles of garbage, you are now emotionally involved and are more apt to be moved to action. Similarly the same is true with all emotions. If you laugh, cry, or are made upset by something then you have succumb to Pathos. The last part of the Rhetorical Triangle is Logos. Logos is the appeal to reason. If your message is logical, includes facts and figures, if there is proof of what you are saying is true, and if it is real then you can successfully use logos to your benefit. Additionally, people throughout your speech are continually going to be asking themselves if what you are saying is true. You can also establish Logos by telling personal stories and cite your sources. The more real facts and detail you have the more believable you will be. To establish logos you can use analogies or metaphors. Many orators will use analogies or metaphors from the bible. Earlier I mentioned that 75 percent of Africans were starving. If my sources came from people magazine or an anti-government website then you probably couldn’t take it seriously. On the other hand, if my sources came from the Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization, those are credible sources and you could believe them. Not only did I use facts and figures, but I also used credible sources. Indeed, using the Rhetorical Triangle in your speeches is a necessary component. Equally important would be is where to establish each part of the rhetorical triangle in a speech. Aristotle and Cicero (106-43 B.C.E.) broke down the process of preparing a speech into five parts. As described in “A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, the canons of rhetoric are as follows: Invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. First on the list is invention. Invention is deciding what you are going to say to the audience that you are presenting to. This is tied to the Logos appeal. Aristotle says that rhetoric is mostly invention, “Discovering the best available means of persuasion.” If I wanted to sell a weight loss product, I am probably going to find someone that has lost weight and has some before and after pictures. It would not make sense for me to have an overweight person be the spokesperson for my product. Therefore, having the right discussion in the right place is very important. Second is arrangement. Arrangement is the order of the speech. If you end your speech with a bunch a numbers and charts and graphs, you will probably have people confused and asking more questions. Like wise if you were to start with numbers, people wouldn’t know what you are talking about. If you can fit them into the middle of your speech, after your topic has been introduced then you can explain why you chose to use them. In “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu) they show how “Cicero aligned certain rhetorical appeals with specific parts of oration.” They show the classical arrangement of oration as follows. 1. Introduction 2. Statement of Facts 3. Division 4. Proof 5. Refutation 6. Conclusion

This first step of arrangement is the introduction. It is explained that in the introduction you would need to establish authority or credibility. As mentioned earlier, to do this you would need to establish the Ethos appeal. In the next four areas (statement of facts, division, proof, refutation) you would use Logos. Again Logos would be where you would use charts and graphs or real life examples. In your conclusion you want to finish up with an appeal to emotion. Therefore, you would use Pathos. In the beginning you basically tell them who you are. Then, you tell them what you want and the value of it. Afterwards you sink them with a sob story. With the success of their cookie sales, I think the girl scouts nail the technique of arrangement. After arrangement comes Style. Style is how you present your ideas. You cannot underestimate the power of style. There is some who say that Martin Luther King didn’t actually write his infamous, “I have a dream” speech. That it was actually taken from some other peoples sermons. If that is true, he may still be credited with the style. There were 200,000 people that marched with him. Although maybe not all were black, he knew that they were all there supporting the civil rights movement, and that most of them were Christian. He used metaphors, biblical references and analogies, and delivered his speech like a sermon. He knew who he was speaking to, and he was so powerful that his speech continues to be analyzed and used as an example of a great speech. Martin Luther King’s speech illustrates the significance of style. Following Style is Memory. Memory is all about, practice, practice practice! In class we have learned how practicing in front of a mirror can make a difference. If you say it out loud you can work out the kinks, and the flow of your speech will be easier to listen to. Also if can take out the ums/uhs, and any other prohibitive practices that would take away from your message it will make it smoother as well. Furthermore if you have it memorized you will be better prepared for any questions that come your way. You won’t get side tracked and have to be searching through your note cards to find where you are at. Memorization is the key to having a smooth presentation. The Final Canon of Rhetoric is delivery. This pertains to how your speech is given. Think if Martin Luther King had stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and did not move or if he had delivered the speech in a monotone voice. Even today there could still be different schools for African American people, two wal-marts on every corner, and President Obama would not be our current president. Your delivery method may change for the audience that you are addressing. If you are going to give a talk 0n drugs to high school and elementary students your delivery method is going to have to change for each one to grasp their specific attention. Delivery will make or break your speech. As you go throughout your day you will realize that every newspaper article, magazine add, television commercial, billboard, talk radio, a speech or whatever the medium is, will be using one if not all three sides of the rhetorical triangle. As I learn about it I have found it to be truly enlightening and wish I would have known about it long ago. I have been in sales for almost my entire working life. There were so many times I can think of that had I just added another appeal I could have easily closed another deal. Now, as I own my own business I can use the Rhetorical Triangle along with the Canons of Rhetoric to be better organized in my thought process and to effectively communicate my ideas in my training manuals, negotiations, product development, and marketing materials. I feel like I have had a huge “aha” moment and I am excited to learn more about rhetoric and start applying it into my everyday life.

Works cited

www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/34560/Aristotle

http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/ethos-pathos-logos/

http://rhetoric.byu.edu/canons/Delivery.htm

Keith D. Miller Voice of Deliverance: The The language of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Its sources

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Pathos is using emotions to persuade. Kids use pathos the most frequently by crying. If a child doesn’t get what they want they will cry making the adult feel guilty and buy what the kid wants. Pathos was a big persuading device when the Declaration was wrote because they wanted to convince people to be angry at the King, proud of their country, and in mood to fight. pathos was used the most in the Declaration of Independence when talking about human rights. Using emotions to persuade people that they deserved the rights listed in the Declaration really hooked a lot of people. Everyone believes they should have rights and the writers of the Declaration said they could make those rights…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rhetoric is the art of effective and persuasive speaking or writing. It is through the use of rhetoric that clear, strong arguments are made. Homer evidently knew this, because he implemented all three types of rhetoric in many places throughout his epic poem. The “ethos,” “pathos,” and “logos” arguments are all distinctly employed by the vast array of characters given by the blind bard in a captivatingly realistic way.…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The first chapter introduced the reader to the art of rhetoric. He describes how rhetoric works through real life examples. He demonstrates ways that rhetoric persuades us like, argument from strength, and seduction. He tells the reader that the sole purpose of arguing is to persuade the audience. He showed that the chief purpose of arguing is to also achieve consensus, a shared faith in a choice.…

    • 2276 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Pathos is highly focused on emotions, feelings and psychological state of the listeners. It is the fact that we can interpret the concept of document easily when we are in good mood but we cannot interpret it when we are in hostile mood. So it is the fact that pathos-driven document concentrates on the mood, emotions and feelings of the audience.…

    • 1909 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Paper

    • 1599 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Rhetorical strategy is a type of method for writers to manipulate their writing to purpose an idea or influence the reader. Narration, description, and exemplification are some of the rhetorical appeals writer use to grab the reader’s attention. And invoke strong reaction out of the reader. Apart from these strategies, many writers use Aristotle's appeals of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos to persuade the reader. Logos is an appeal to the audience's logic and reason. Pathos is an appeal to the audience’s sentiments and emotions. Ethos is an appeal to the authority or reputation of the speaker. Logos is an appeal to the audience's logic and reason. In my rhetorical analysis, I will be analyzing an article by Heather Mattern called, “Learning to Breathe”. In this article, Mattern proposes increasing physical activity such as running, , consuming raw foods, and adopting a positive mentality to curb depression. Mattern’s article brings awareness to health educators, like myself, who focuses on the study of health related issues like food, nutrition, and prevention. Through the use of use pathos and logos appeals, as well as narration, classifying and diving, and exemplifications to do what?…

    • 1599 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rhetoric is the art of influence, and therefore hinders the strong social force of arguments. According to the book, Thanks for Arguing, rhetoric serves as the decoder for arguments. The art of persuasion is all around, even in arguments.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Triangle

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Rhetorical Triangle is on the biggest key point to making sure the paper is well round and can be understandable for whom may read it. The 3 key points for the rhetorical triangle are Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. Logos, which is Greek for ‘word’, is where in the essay the author is conveying his message to the audience. It’s where the actual argument comes in for the paper. Ethos, translates to character, which correlates to how well the author established credibility through his/her work. It’s essential that the author can properly convey reliable information so the audience can trust and believe what the writer is talking about. And last Pathos, meaning suffering in Greek, is where the emotions of the passage is transferred to the reader. It’s important for the writer to…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The rhetorical triangle, also referred to as the Aristotelian triangle described the interaction among the subject, speaker, and the audience, as well as how the interaction determines the structure and audience of the argument.…

    • 960 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Almost 2500 years ago Aristotle was born, he was born into a wealthy educated family in Greece. He was a student of the famed Plato (another Greek philosopher) and went on to make many great discoveries and theories. One of Aristotle's greatest teachings was in the art of rhetoric. Aristotle said that to be persuasive in ones arguments that one must establish credibility (ethos) use logical argument (logos), and appeal to the audience on an emotional level (pathos). Twenty two hundred years later a young statesman named Patrick Henry would exemplify these three techniques to near perfect use, in his speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses.…

    • 856 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing. This is especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques. There are also many rhetoric elements to this story. I will explain just a few of the many rhetoric elements in this essay.…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dialectic Vs Rhetoric

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Page

    One more prominent figure in the classical history of rhetoric is Plato (428-347 B.C). Plato believed that the purpose of philosophy was to discover truth that should be independent of any special calculation of interest; he was suspicious of rhetoric because he thought it lacked any concern with a truth that was separate from the speaker’s interest. An opposition therefore developed in the classical period between rhetoric and dialectic (1), dialectic gave equal weight to both sides of an argument, while rhetoric was concerned with persuasion from a particular perspective rather than presenting a balanced point of view. For Plato, rhetoric was deceptive, because it only showed a perspective that fitted with the speaker’s point of view.…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Contemporary Use of Rhetoric

    • 2369 Words
    • 10 Pages

    As we learned in class, “rhetoric is one of the oldest and most studied human arts in Western civilization.” The rhetorical tradition can be traced back to the Sophists who first taught rhetoric in the ancient Mediterranean world and were viewed as controversial figures because of it. The Sophists, and specifically Aristotle, laid the groundwork for modern public communication. The Sophists were the first to systematize rhetoric into a true art or discipline and believed that anyone could become a skilled rhetorician with proper teaching and practice. Aristotle was essentially the ‘father’ of rhetorical study and was the first person to systematize the study of rhetoric into a…

    • 2369 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thus, Aristotle provides an introduction to his theory of rhetoric. First, it resembles the reader to deeper questions of how people can use the art of persuasion to manipulate an idea or argument. Secondly, the quote shows how Aristotle perceives rhetoric as a form of art and not as a science. According to Aristotle, the difference between science and art is that art is used everyday in any form of rhetoric speech. Lastly, the quote helps the reader understand how logic can wrongly be use through the form of rhetoric. For example, one use of persuasive speech can twist the information in someone else’s mind, to the point where one’s reality becomes someone else’s reality as well. The quote itself helps the reader understand Aristotle’s Rhetoric by providing an introduction to Aristotle’s theory of rhetoric. With Aristotle’s theory, people understand how the use of rhetoric affects their lives in the way of intellectual…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pathos is the emotion used by the author or speaker; it can be shown using exclamation points, question marks, and the tone the used. Also some phrases that trigger emotions can be considered a form as pathos as well. Patrick Henry famous statement “Give me liberty, or give me death!” uses pathos because there is an emotional connection with this phrase. This statement shows he is very passionate about this subject which makes his speech more persuasive. And claiming he would die for liberty it shows he is devoted to fighting against the British.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Aristotle, although having lived thousands of years ago, continues to make an impact in our society with his contribution to Western thinking and his famous "art" of rhetoric. He remains to this day, one of the most influential philosophers in the history of rhetorical study. One of his most prominent works is his "Rhetoric", a book that "confronts scholars with several perplexing questions" (Herrick 74). "Rhetoric" is divided into three books that discuss the "domains of rhetoric, the rhetorical proofs that Aristotle is so famous for and matters of style and arrangement" (Herrick 74). One of the most important contributions of Aristotle 's "Rhetoric" is his idea of artistic proofs, which are used to persuade an audience. Since developed in the fourth century BC, these proofs still continue to be utilized by rhetoricians to this day through the Aristotelian method. There are three components that comprise the artistic proofs. These are "(1) logical reasoning (logos), (2) the names and causes of various human emotions (pathos), and (3) human character and goodness (ethos)" (Herrick 82). Although all parts of his work are instrumental to rhetoricians and scholars everywhere, I will focus on the profound impact of Aristotle 's "artistic proofs" to the art of rhetoric and use Franklin D. Roosevelt 's December 8, 1941 "Declaration of War" speech as an example of how they 're put into practice as a persuasive mechanism in today 's postmodern society.…

    • 1885 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics