Examples of Rhetoric

An Example of Rhetoric from Literature
· Rhetoric does not always have to be nonfiction
· Poetry, fiction, and drama
· The Illiad is an example of rhetoric

Arrangement
· Organization, or arrangement, is an important element of rhetoric.
· There should always be a beginning middle and end in an essay. The essay should consist of an introduction, developmental paragraphs, and a conclusion.

The Classical Model
· Introduction- (exordium) tells the reader the subject under discussion. It can be one paragraph or a few, as long as it catches the reader’s attention. This is where ethos is established
· Narration- (narration) gives factual information and background material. Sometimes the narration can appeal to logos, but it often appeals to pathos because the author is hoping to get an emotional respond about the issue
· The Confirmation- (confirmation) the majority of the text, it contains specific and concrete detail, appealing to logos
· The Refutation- (refutio) addresses the counterargument. It connects the writer’s proof and conclusion. It is recommended to put this at the end of the text · The Conclusion- (peroration) It can be one paragraph or a few, as long as it brings the essay to a close. The author should appeal to pathos and remind the reader of ethos. It should gather the author’s ideas together. The last words should be most important because they are what the audience will remember.

Not by Math Alone
· Sandra Day O’Connor and Roy Romer’s essay on the importance of education follow the classical model very well
· They established ethos by their high positions, they used logos by including facts and background information, they gave reasons to support their cause, and their final paragraph appeals to pathos because they use vivid language and evokes emotion from the audience

Patterns of Development
· There are different purposes to consider such as, compare and contrast, to narrate an event, and to define a term

Narration
· It refers to telling a story or recounting a series of events. As long as it supports your thesis it can be based on personal experience or on knowledge gained from reading or observation

Description
·Description is similar to narration because it includes detail. Description should establish a mood or atmosphere by painting a picture of how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels

Process Analysis
· It explains how something works, how to do something, or how something was done. It is important that everything is clear and easily understood.

Exemplification
· Examples such as facts, specific cases, or instances turn general ideas into concrete ones.
· Having concrete ideas make an argument clear and persuasive
· Aristotle taught that examples are part of a logical proof called induction.
· Induction-a series of specific examples that lead to a general conclusion

Comparison and Contrast
· comparing and contrasting you are highlighting similarities and differences
· Compare and Contrast can be organized in two ways, subject-by-subject, or point by point
· Subject-by-subject: discusses all the elements of one subject then turns to the other
· Point-by-point: organized around the specific points of a discussion

Classification and Division
· Writers should be able to sort material and ideas into major categories

Definition
· Many discussions depend on definition. It is critical that the audience understands what the argument is about.
· Defining terms is often the first step in a debate or disagreement

Cause and Effect
· A powerful foundation for an argument is analyzing a cause that leads to an effect or an effect that resulted from a cause
· There should be more than one cause or one result because you don’t want to mistake an effect for a cause or jump to conclusion