Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Analyzing the First Amendment of the US Constitution using the Rhetoric of Aristotle, Carl Rogers, and Hairson

Good Essays
491 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analyzing the First Amendment of the US Constitution using the Rhetoric of Aristotle, Carl Rogers, and Hairson
Chapter 1: Summary of Pages 1 through 16
The point of the First Amendment is for Americans to be able to express disagreement without fear of reprisal. Men and women of this country have been trained for their voices to be heard. Real life problems are often resolved through negotiation. This is stated on pages 1 and 2.
Argument, according to most authorities, gives primary importance to logical appeals; however, a writer or speaker must take into account the audience’s emotional response to the subject and the way it is presented. Success in convincing the audience depends on the writer’s trustworthiness.
- Aristotelian Rhetoric:
Aristotle used the term logos to refer to logical appeals, pathos to refer to emotional appeals, and ethos to refer to credibility. With these, he created classical and traditional rhetoric theories. He believed that in a perfect world logic alone would be enough to persuade, however he also acknowledged that in the real world, effective arguments depend on both logical and emotional appeals that have to be given by a writer/speaker with good established credibility. He also named intelligence, character, and goodwill as attributes that produce credibility.
The writer must convince the audience that they are knowledgeable and well informed about the subject. They must persuade that they are not only truthful in the presentation of evidence, but also morally upright and dependable. He must show good intentions and have considered the interests and needs of others as well as their own. Once credibility is lost by the audience it will be difficult to persuade subsequent claims not matter how sound the data is. Furthermore, in an argument there needs to be balance, anticipation of the emotional response of the audience, and acknowledgement of the same based on the 1st paragraph of the analysis in page 10 of Don’t Mourn Brown v. Board of Education by Juan Williams.
- Rogerian Argument:
Carl Rogers, as a therapist, believed that the experience of two people meeting and speaking honestly with each other would have healing effect. He became convinced that this could also work for large groups and even nations to create better relationships. In the Rogerian approach to argumentation, effective communication requires both understanding another’s reality and respecting it.

Hairston’s 5 Steps for using Rogerian Argumentation:
1. Give a brief, objective statement of the issue under discussion
2. Summarize in impartial language what you perceive the case for the opposition to be; the summary should demonstrate that you understand their interest and concerns and should avoid any hint of hostility.
3. Make an objective statement of your side of the issue, listing your concerns and interests, but avoiding loaded language or any hint of moral superiority.
4. Outline what common ground or mutual concerns you and the other person or group seem to share; if you see irreconcilable interests, specify what they are.
5. Outline the solution you propose, pointing out what both sides may gain from it.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • 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

    lends vivacity and presence to an argument. ……………..anecdote about ……………..is not trivial, it coordinates evidentiary, representational, narrative and ethotic elements of his argument to persuaded and connect his audience to his argument. 2. Addressing a…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Three Rhetorical Appeals are the three main points by which people are influenced, and it allows you to effectively evaluate different texts and arguments for their oratorical strategies. The first, Logos, is the method of reason, logic, or facts. Any type of argument which appeals to someone’s rational side is appealing to logos. Second, Ethos, an approach of credibility, authority, or character, appeals to demonstrate the author’s expertise, trustworthiness, and honesty and tries to put the author in a more positive position to the audience. Lastly, Pathos, this is a strategy of affect and emotions. Pathos appeals to an audience’s emotions of anger, excitement, or sorrow. These three points are important to the audience to analyze the…

    • 210 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When writing academic papers, try to set your other interests & behaviors aside & write as a scholar. This will make you a credible writer. Ethos is very important when presenting an argument. To persuade readers to agree with you, writing must be credible. How can you appeal to your audience? You must find a way to reach your audience & impress them w/your ability to use shared values & culture to persuade the reader. Aristotle used the term pathos to describe the humanistic appeal to emotion & values of your audience.…

    • 932 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the first amendment of the Bill of Rights, it clarified that all citizens of the United States have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A democracy is a “government by the people”, if the government respects the freedom of speech, of the press, and of association, the 1st Amendment guarantees these freedom from the citizens, which is an important part of…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The amendments were written as a basis for protection, and have been contorted into a blanket to shield foul behaviors and acts. The first amendment guarantees the rights of free expression and action. This include freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. The original purpose of this was to allow people the freedom to speak out against the government…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ethos Logos Pathos

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When writing a persuasive, argumentative, or when making a claim there is one goal, that is to reach the audience, and persuade them to what the essay is saying. Authors will use tools when writing so they can reach a targeted audience, and have the audience persuaded to the authors way of thinking. A synthesis is bringing to arguments together allowing for a comparison or a contrast, rebuttal, or accumulation with supporting points. Authors will also use ethos; this is where an author is well respected and their audience will believe most anything they say. Pathos is where an author will use emotional to persuade their audience. Then we have logos this is where the author uses reasoning to pull their audience in and persuade them one way or another. All these tools are known the classic principles of arguments. (Lamm & Everett, 2007)…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Amendment was written into our Constitution because our founding fathers were familiar with government suppression of political speech. Before the American Revolution, England imprisoned, exiled, and killed men and woman who spoke out against the “Crown”. This continued in the very earliest years of colonization of the United States until The Free Speech Clause of the Constitution was drafted to save those who disagreed with these policies, of a similar fate. Our U.S. Constitution gives us more freedom to voice our opinions than most, if not any other country. There are however some areas which is not equal under the amendment, they are as follows: Speech that incites illegal activity, subversive, fighting words, obscenity, pornography, commercial speech and symbolic expression.…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    If you could appeal to the audience you would find yourself in a position of strength and also be able to persuade readers or listeners.…

    • 960 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bees Ethos Pathos Logos

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Aristotle has three appeals. The first appeal is ethos. This means the speakers competence and character. In my speech about bees being endangered I spoke about my ignorance towards bees. My ignorance was started after I got stung and existed until I watched a bee pollinate a flower. The second appeal is logos. This is the evidence and reasoning you deliver in the speech. For example, the reasoning, I talked about is what bees job is. They pollinate a lot of plants and this allows many families to survive. The evidence of bee decline in population is the number of crops suffering to grow. The last appeal is pathos. Pathos is the emotional appeal. Everyone gets upset when you include how dogs and cats are affected by something. I spoke about…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rhetoric is the way that arguments, persuasive speech, and writing are crafted. It deals with a variety of topics such as political, forensic (often seen in the law profession), and ceremonial (graduation speeches, eulogies, and political nominations). Using methods to enhance a speaker’s credibility and swaying audiences to believe their claim also plays a significant role. It works constantly to overcome misunderstandings to eradicate ignorance of a given topic. The speaker employs three means of persuasion according to Aristotle.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    1st amendment paper

    • 2737 Words
    • 11 Pages

    With its adoption on December 15, 1791, the First Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, set out to ensure civil liberties for all citizens within the Constitution. Although, the First Amendment first applied solely to the federal government, today, the Supreme Court interprets the Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause, Free Speech Clause, Freedom of the Press Clause, Freedom of Assembly Clause, and Freedom of Petition Clause for all citizens of the United States. Throughout each of these clauses, the Supreme Court has distinct guidelines, upon which there is a socio-political certainty for the citizens of our country, however in the present nature of our society as a whole, the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment are truly more of an ideal. In order to fully understand this concept of our freedoms acting as a model, there must be thorough knowledge of the various historical, political, and legal realties behind these promised freedoms.…

    • 2737 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Amendment is the cornerstone of American democracy and the primary protector of the freedoms Americans enjoy. While some might argue that there should be no restrictions on the First Amendment, the First Amendment should be restricted in order to promote public safety and ensure the smooth functioning of society, and those limitations should be narrowly crafted and explicitly defined by the Supreme Court. A person has the right to voice his or her opinion on a matter, regardless of what another person thinks about that opinion. This idea should be protected under the First Amendment unless a person’s opinion expressed through speech incites violence or disrupts the flow of society.…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are hundreds of different genres of writing that exist today. Each of those subcategories has certain characteristics that would make it either a good or bad piece of writing. When it comes to opinionated writing, there are several underlying elements that dictate how influential an author is if he or she uses them correctly. However, you must also know how to recognize these traits to be an informed reader. Ethos, pathos, and logos are three distinct variables that work together to form an argument. They embody credibility, emotional connection, and logic, respectively (Ludsford and Ruszkiewicz 26). A writer has to have ‘the perfect recipe’ and balance each component correctly to make a convincing, persuasive argument.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The first amendment was put into place when the bill of rights was adopted into the United States constitution, which protected fundamental rights of the people from the government. The text, although somewhat vague, was a…

    • 1358 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays