Satire & Rhetoric

Attacking the source behind the argument, rather than the argument itself (to discredit it).

Ex: "Stalin was evil and against religion. All people against religion are evil"

ad hominem

A situation in which someone is presented with only two extreme options, rather than the full range of options/possibilities.

Ex:"You are either with us or against us"

false dilemma

The distortion/twisting of someone's argument, so it can make it easy to disprove.

Ex: "I like cats better than dogs." "So you hate dogs?"

straw man

A fallacy where someone argues that something is true or good because it is popular or that everyone believes it.

Ex: If you're shopping for a smartphone, go with the iPhone 13. It's the best-selling phone right now; the numbers don't lie.

bandwagon

A fallacy that argues an action that will lead to a chain reaction of unintended negative consequences.

"If I don't pass my exam, I won't get a good grade, which means I won't get accepted to college."

slippery slope

It means "You're also" or "Youre another" in latin. In a speech, it is an attack on an opponent's behavior/actions to discredit their argument, and make them sound hypocritical.

Someone tells you to drive slowly, and you reply "But you get speeding tickets all the time!"

tu quoque

Occurs when one utilizes the ideas of someone in power in order to support their own, without providing other evidence.

Ex: "My favorite actor, who starred in that movie about a virus that turns people into zombies, said in an interview that genetically modified crops caused COVID-19. So I think that's what really happened."

appeal to authority

When someone makes a generalization about a larger population based on a small sample/piece of evidence.

Ex: "My 10 year old sister is very creative, so all 10 year olds must be just as creative"

hasty generalization

An argument that assumes the very thing it is trying to prove is true. Instead of offering evidence, it simply repeats the conclusion, rendering the argument logically incoherent.

Ex: "The President of the United States is a good leader because they are the leader of this country".

circular reasoning

A clue or piece of information that is, or is intended to be, misleading or distracting.

Ex: A driver argues that they shouldn't pay a speeding ticket because there are more dangerous criminals out there. The driver is shifting the focus away from the fact that they broke the speed limit.

red herring

The assumption that one event caused another because it happened before the other; fallacy because someone assumes that one event caused another simply because the first event happened before the second.

Ex: I ate a fish and then I got sick to my stomach, therefore the fish made me sick.

post hoc ergo propter hoc

It is right because there is no evidence against it.

Ex: There are ghosts in the classroom, because there is no evidence that there isn't.

appeal to ignorance

An appeal to ETHICS
A way of convincing an audience of an argument by building CREDIBILITY
Think: Is the speaker TRUSTWORTHY? Do they have good MORALs? Do they reflect our VALUES?

ethos

An appeal to EMOTIONS
A way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response
Think: does the speaker make us EMPATHIZE with them and their subject? How does the argument make us FEEL?

pathos

AN APPEAL TO LOGIC
A way of convincing an audience of an argument through logic and REASONING
Think: does the speaker's argumentative points MAKE SENSE? Where are the FACTS and EVIDENCE to support the speaker's claims?

logos

a short story that is funny, rhetorical story is for proving a point; ex: Cassius saying Caesar needed help while swimming

anecdote

not intended to have an answer, intended for dramatic effect; ex: Brutus, can you see your face?

rhetorical question

a repeated word, phrase, or imagery; ex: I have a dream

repetition

same sentence structure repeated with different words; ex: I came, I saw, I conquered

parallel structure

two opposing ideas side by side to make a point; ex: hope for the best, prepare for the worst

antithesis

a two part phrase where the second phrase is flipped; ex: ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country

chiasmus

appeals to feelings

emotion appeal

A question with two answers; ex: yes and no, true or false

binary question

To ridicule, or make fun of something.

mockery

A difference between what one says or does and what is meant or expected. Includes sarcasm.

irony

To say more than you mean; to exaggerate in order to make point.
Caricature.

overstatement

To say less than you mean in order to make a point.

understatement

Mockery of a specific, known person, literary work or event.

parody

Creating tension between laughter and horror or revulsion; the essence of "black humor"

grotesque

Imitates, yet exaggerates and distorts, the literary epic and its style.

mock-heroic