Basic Rhetoric
Rhetoric
Aristotle’s definition of rhetoric: "the ability, in
each particular case, to see the available means
of persuasion.“
In other words, rhetorical analysis is looking at
the techniques used to convince a person of
something.
You see this everywhere, from the
advertisements and memes, to this very
PowerPoint
There are three primary components to
consider: ethos, logos, pathos
Ethos
Persuading a person by focusing on
authority is ethos-based. In other words,
“Listen to me because I am the authority”.
“Believe because of who I am”.
Whenever a person, group, brand,
company’s reputation etc. is used to
persuade, it is ethos.
This is also persuasion based on ethical /
moral concerns.
Ethos
There are many different means of
appealing to an audience with ethos,
depending on the age of the audience.
Spokesperson: celebrities who endorse
products fall under ethos.
Self-reference: commercials and ads
that refer to their brand integrity, to the
longevity of their company.
Ethos
Celebrity Endorsement:
[Link]
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Typical Ethos Examples
Celebrity Endorsements - Politics
Brand characters (Joe Camel, Jake from State Farm)
Catchphrases, logos, company iconography
A company’s longevity / history / founder
Artist history or expertise (such as in a song)
Authority of a group or class (police, teacher,
business-person, etc)
Ethical arguments (extremely rare, not to be
confused with something bringing up ethical ideas.
That is not enough to be ethos)
Logos
Logos: an argument or appeal to an audience based
on logic, practicality. In some ways this is the most
complex and the one people struggle the most with.
It is the application of facts independent of emotion,
and the use of specific logical reasoning.
Note: Most advertisements do not use logos,
specifically. They might do something that gets you
thinking, but that is you supplying the logos, not the
ad. A lot of people make this mistake, so don’t feel
bad if it happens to you.
Typical Logos Examples
First, see the “Logos Deep Dive” on Brightspace
for more info.
Scientific studies
Statistics / Number comparisons
Legal arguments
One to one comparisons (such as one brand vs
the competitors)
Logical argumentation (rare)
Live demonstration of effectiveness.
Pathos
Pathos: an emotional appeal to the audience. This is
to convince based provoking an emotional reaction
from someone. It could be a positive or negative
emotion, but the important thing is that it convinces
through feeling.
Perhaps the most famous advertising example of this
is below.
[Link]
Note: This is, by far, the most common. Often
people think there is logos /ethos when it is pure
pathos. If someone is trying to make you “feel”,
whether it is through anger, humor, guilt, etc., it is
an appeal to pathos.
Typical Pathos Examples
Humor
Food – Sex – Sleep (anything that hits on basic
needs or desires)
Animals - Babies – Cute things
Music
Money (especially feel-good deals /
opportunities)
High energy editing / quick cuts
Politics (get people angry, scared, and/or
hyped)
Colors
Some Practice
Review the following slides and identify
what is being utilized: ethos, logos,
pathos, or a combination of two or more.
Don’t worry, this is for your own personal
practice. You don’t need to actually
submit it, but we will have assignments
utilizing these skills.
Quaker Oats:
[Link]
Life Cereal:
[Link]
Flintstones:
[Link]
Things to Consider
In the second advertisement it could be
argued that both logos and pathos are
utilized. But both do not necessarily
appeal to a single audience.
Who is the audience?
Some Visual Examples
Consider the following advertisement:
Analysis
When doing a rhetorical analysis,
consider the following:
The colors
The types of people
Facial expressions
What words are chosen (and font size)
Foreground vs Background
Questions
Who is the target audience? (age range,
concerns).
How does the advertisement appeal to
their audience? (logos, ethos, pathos)
Here's a classic example:
Questions
Why is Joe Camel designed the way he is?
Why those colors?
The saxophone?
Final Thoughts
Rhetorical analysis is how we persuade others
That means it is also used by others to
persuade us!
Look to see how we persuade and manipulate
others, and how we are in turn persuaded and
manipulated.
This happens on all levels, from the minor
(convincing someone of what you want for
dinner) to the major (politics, religion, etc)
This will be built on more next week.