chapter 1 - an introduction to rhetoric vocab

Aristotelian triangle/rhetorical triangle

a diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject in determining a text.

audience

the listener, viewer, or reader of a text. most texts are likely to have multiple __________.

example of audience

“Gehrig’s audience was his teammates and fans in the stadium that day, but it was also the teams he played against, the fans listening on the radio, and posterity – us.”

concession

an acknowledgment that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable. in a strong argument, a _________ is usually accompanied by a refutation challenging the validity of the opposing argument.

example of concession

“Lou Gehrig concedes what some of his listener may think – that his bad break is a cause for discouragement or despair.”

connotation

meanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its dictionary definition, or denotation. _________ are usually positive or negative, and they can greatly affect the author’s tone. consider the ______ of the words below, all of which mean “overweight”.

example of connotation

“That cat is plump. That cat is fat. That cat is obese.”

context

the circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.

example of context

“The context for Lou Gehrig’s speech is the recent announcement of his illness and his subsequent retirement, but also the poignant contrast between his potent career and his debilitating disease.”

counterargument

an opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward. rather than ignoring a ___________, a strong writer will usually address it through the process of concession and refutation.

example of counterargument

“Some of Lou Gehrig’s listeners might have argued that his bad break was a cause for discouragement or despair.”

ethos

Greek for “character.” speakers appeal to _________ to demonstrate that they are credible and trustworthy to speak on a given topic. _______ is established by both who you are and what you say.

example of ethos

“Lou Gehrig brings the ethos of being a legendary athlete to his speech, yet in it he establishes a different kind of ethos – that of a regular guy and a good sport who shares the audience’s love of baseball and family. And like them, he has known good luck and bad breaks.”

logos

Greek for “embodied thought.” speakers appeal to ________, or reason, by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up

example of logos

“Gehrig starts with the thesis that he is ‘the luckiest man on the face of the earth’ and supports it with two points: (1) the love and kindness he’s received in his seventeen years of playing baseball, and (2) a list of great people who have been his friends, family, and teammates.”

occasion

the time and place a speech is given or a piece is written

example of occasion

“In the case of Gehrig’s speech, the occasion is Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day. More specifically, his moment comes at home plate between games of a doubleheader.”

pathos

Greek for “suffering” or “experience.” speakers appeal to _______ to emotionally motivate their audience. more specific appeals to ________ might play on the audience’s values, desires, and hopes, on the one hand, or fears and prejudices, on the other.

example of pathos

“The most striking appeal to pathos is the poignant contrast between Gehrig’s horrible diagnosis and his public display of courage.”

persona

Greek for “mask.” the face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience.

example of persona

“Lou Gehrig is a famous baseball hero, but in his speech he presents himself as a common man who is modest and thankful for the opportunities he’s had.”

polemic

Greek for “hostile.” an aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others. _______s generally do not concede that opposing opinions have any merit

propaganda

the spread of ideas and information to further a cause. in its negative sense, propaganda is the use of rumors, lies, disinformation, and scare tactics in order to damage or promote a cause.

purpose

the goal the speakers wants to achieve

example of purpose

“One of Gehrig’s chief purposes in delivering his Farewell Address is to thank his fans and his teammates, but he also wants to demonstrate that he remains positive: he emphasizes his past luck and present optimism and downplays his illness.”

refutation

a denial of the validity of an opposing argument. in order to sound reasonable, _________s often follow a concession that acknowledges that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable.

example of refutation

“Lou Gehrig refutes that his bad break is a cause for discouragement by saying that he has an ‘awful lot to live for!’”

rhetoric

as Aristotle defined the term, “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” in other words, it is the art of finding ways to persuade an audience.

rhetorical appeals

rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling. the three major appeals are to ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion).

SOAPS

a mnemonic device that stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker. it is a handy way to remember the various elements that make up the rhetorical situation

speaker

the person or group who creates a text. this might be a politician who delivers a speech, a commentator who writes an article, an artist who draws a political cartoon, or even a company that commissions an advertisement

example of speaker

“In his Farewell Address, the speaker is not just Lou Gehrig, but baseball hero and ALS victim Lou Gehrig, a common man who is modest and thankful for the opportunities he’s had.”

subject

the topic of a text. what the text is about.

example of subject

“Lou Gehrig’s subject in his speech is his illness, but it is also a catalog of all the lucky breaks that preceded his diagnosis.”

text

while this term generally means the written word, in the humanities it has come to mean any cultural product that can be “read”—meaning not just consumed and comprehended, but investigated. this includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, political cartoons, fine art, photography, performances, fashion, cultural trends, and much more.