Thursday, August 21, 2008

FOR FRIDAY: Read and Annotate pages 79-105, Vocabulary Quiz (I forgot to tell you in class that these quizzes are cumulative...that means that there may be a few words from last week on this quiz.)

VOCAB:
rhetoric: The art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse.
ad hominem: In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent’s ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning “against the man.”
colloquialism: A word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all, ain’t).
euphemism: A more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. “He went to his final reward” is a common saying for “he died.” These are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses “collateral damage” to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.
freight train: Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions.
non-sequitur: Latin for “it does not follow.” When one statement isn’t logically connected to another.
red herring: When a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue.
rhetorical fallacies (or fallacies of argument): They do not allow for the open, two-way exchange of ideas upon which meaningful conversations depend.
straw man: A writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak.
syntax: The grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. It includes length of sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative sentences, rhetorical questions, simple, complex, or compound).
Vocabulary Week 1
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
Logos (Greek for 'word') refers to the internal consistency of the message--the clarity of the claim, the logic of its reasons, and the effectiveness of its supporting evidence. The impact of logos on an audience is sometimes called the argument's logical appeal.
Ethos (Greek for 'character') refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. Ethos is often conveyed through tone and style of the message and through the way the writer or speaker refers to differing views. It can also be affected by the writer's reputation as it exists independently from the message--his or her expertise in the field, his or her previous record or integrity, and so forth. The impact of ethos is often called the argument's 'ethical appeal' or the 'appeal from credibility.'
[P]athos (Greek for 'suffering' or 'experience') is often associated with emotional appeal. But a better equivalent might be 'appeal to the audience's sympathies and imagination.' An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally but to identify with the writer's point of view--to feel what the writer feels. In this sense, pathos evokes a meaning implicit in the verb 'to suffer'--to feel pain imaginatively.... Perhaps the most common way of conveying a pathetic appeal is through narrative or story, which can turn the abstractions of logic into something palpable and present. The values, beliefs, and understandings of the writer are implicit in the story and conveyed imaginatively to the reader. Pathos thus refers to both the emotional and the imaginative impact of the message on an audience, the power with which the writer's message moves the audience to decision or action.
[The above text drawn verbatim from Ramage, John D. and John C. Bean. Writing Arguments. 4th Edition. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1998, 81-82.] http://www.u.arizona.edu/ic/polis/courses021/ENGL_102-78/EthosPathosLogos
Classical Oration (six steps)
exordium: The introduction of a speech, where one announces the subject and purpose of the discourse, and where one usually employs the persuasive appeal of ethos in order to establish credibility with the audience.
narratio: The second part of a classical oration, following the introduction or exordium. The speaker here provides a narrative account of what has happened and generally explains the nature of the case. Quintilian adds that the narratio is followed by the propositio, a kind of summary of the issues or a statement of the charge.
partitio: Following the statement of facts, or narratio, comes the partitio or divisio. In this section of the oration, the speaker outlines what will follow, in accordance with what's been stated as the status, or point at issue in the case. Quintilian suggests the partitio is blended with the propositio and also assists memory.
confirmatio: Following the division / outline or partitio comes the main body of the speech where one offers logical arguments as proof. The appeal to logos is emphasized here.
refutatio: Following the the confirmatio or section on proof in a classical oration, comes the refutation. As the name connotes, this section of a speech was devoted to answering the counterarguments of one's opponent.
peroratio: Following the refutatio and concluding the classical oration, the peroratio conventionally employed appeals through pathos, and often included a summing up. Conclusions can take various forms; Aristotle suggests using appeals from pathos. Modern academic conclusions often include a discussion of exceptions and unanswered questions remaining for further study, implications and practical consequences of your standpoint, plus an explicit statement of what you want the audience to do. In a conclusion, sum up, never repeat, what you said in the text. Never begin any conclusion with "In conclusion" or similar phrases. You do not have to tell the audience you are concluding, just conclude.