CMN 321 exam 1

Terms in this set (92)

rhetoric (aristotle)

the faculty of observing in each particular case the available means of persuasion

rhetoric (burke)

use of language as a symbolic means of inducing cooperation in beings that by nature respond to symbols

major goal or rhetoric

a way for democratic citizens to do their business: figure out who their leaders are, what policies that want to put in place, who they are.

characteristics of rhetoric

public, propositional, practical, poetic, powerful

rhetoric--public

adapts to audiences, relies on communal knowledge, appeals to people as a group not as individuals

rhetoric--propositional

need to use a common language with a common usage. Tends to be formal so that the widest possible audience can be reached. Proposition to argue things that may or may not be true (the law of gravity is not a proposition, it is a fact)

rhetoric--practical

it does things--you are married. you are pardoned.

rhetoric--poetic

I have a dream, other awe-inspiring speeches

descriptive analysis

we use this language to describe/break down text and figure out what is happening in the speech. usually no hidden agenda.

descriptive analysis answers 2 questions

what is the purpose of this discourse? how does the speech work to achieve its goals

7 elements of descriptive analysis

purpose, persona, audience, tone, structure, supporting material, strategies

thesis and response desired. Major claim that the speaker is making, and what sort of response they seek

role adapted by the orator. put on a mask and play a role-- could be role of president, teacher, friend, etc.

DA--audience (4)

empirical--anybody who happens to see or run across a speech, can be found through historical evidence. target--can be found through descriptive analysis, the audience that the speaker assumes, values, beliefs, vocabulary all assumed, only noticed if the speaker screws up. agents of change--people that have power and ability to do what you want them to do. created--attitude toward audience and subject matter

attitude toward audience and subject matter. can be hard to read in a text

organization or arrangement of the speech. can be used as a metaphor. guides and moves us. can be chronological (time order), topical (by issue), logical (problem and solution)

DA--supporting material

evidence used to vivify (increase interest, psychological), justify (prove your case, logical). example, statistic, analogy, authority (citation of an expert)

ways to reach goals. argument--appeal to logic and reason, appeal--set of strategies that engage your emotion, language--series of kinds of strategies embedded in language itself to engage you. call and response, repetition, give a poetic feel.

potential rhetorical problems (4)

cost, complexity, cultural history, control

rhetorical problem--complexity

too complex to explain. a professor who knows the material but cannot explain it to others

rhetorical problem--cultural history

previous arguments and symbols that already exist may stand in the way and speakers will have to work through them

rhetorical problem--cost

what will the purpose cost the audience? considerable level of cost to a caucus--have to travel from far away, may have to stand to listen, etc.

rhetorical problem--control

what control does that audience have over the achievement of the purpose? can they affect the issue we are discussing or do anything about it?

rhetorical problem and audience

can the orator reach the target audience? lower level candidates need to spend money to get on tv, ie. is misinterpretation likely? is the issue important? does the audience believe it can take effective action?

rhetorical problem and orator

what is orators reputation/track record/previous audience? how do setting and occasion influence orator (event, competition, expectations, media, setting), how can the orator demonstrate ethos, identification, and social power?

JFK--complexity

not a major issue

JFK--cultural history

states rights: for domestic matters such as civil rights, states have the right to make determinations and southern states can impose discrimination. african americans not fully human? all men created equal and african americans not equal.

white southerners have enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle as a result of black subjugation, and if civil rights are imposed this will cease and they will appear to be in the moral wrong. significant cost to them.

audience has control over the achievement of the purpose

able to identify because of his own tragedies, catholicism became important, high approval rating->high credibility. many competing persuaders that he had to get a super majority to beat.

crisis moment of judgment

you have to make a choice where the events force you to decide.

insult, part of what JFK discusses. segregation is awful but especially in terms of everyday humiliation

every american ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated

president, educated, historian

target: american citizens, religious, moral. created: obligated, language of duty

impersonal, impatient, even angry and sarcastic in places. committed and dedicated

topical--problem solution. attitudinal.

JFK--supporting material

example: Alabama, Vietnam and West Berlin as hypothetical examples of acts, Birmingham and elsewhere. statistic: list of changes. analogy: comparisons in examples. authority: bible, constitution, lincoln

JFK--strategies

argument: definition, definition by negation, reciprocity, residues, quasi-syllogism, models. appeals: american values, religious values, pathos (child), created audience, language of obligation, argument from history (precedent). language: parallel structure, metaphor, allusion, imperative, contrast, identification

rational argument or appeal based on reason/logic. our culture will value certain kinds of logic over others. emotion and other capacities will be involved. what is advantageous is usually morally right and also the good thing to do. enlightened self interest of the audience.

argument, evidence, authority

logos--argument

claim, evidence, warrant. warrant is an exercise of authority. what claim is being made, what evidence is being offered for the claim, what is the authorization/reasoning process that gets you there

logos--evidence

tries to vivify and justify. example: specific case, something that has happened that is easy to identify with, psych strong, logically week. statistic: show size and frequency, good for logos and works well with example. analogy: comparison between like objects, used for evaluation and prediction.

logos--authority

what we normally regard as evidence. citation of an expert in support of a claim. expert must be an expert on the subject matter considered.

logos--comparative advantages

sometimes policy choices are not good and you just have to pick the one that is the least not bad.

logos--plausibility

best things orators can do is assess plausibility. there are no guarantees but you must prove something is likely

Clinton--complexity

technical data, economic issues. must find a way to take technical data and make it make sense to regular citizens. evaluation of secondary sources inevitable. what is the credibility of the sources he cites?

Clinton--cultural history

role of government has been most controversial issue for all of our history. past debates have created polarization--not a lot of middle ground on this issue. People take a democratic or republican stand and stick to it.

short term cost is more taxes, budget cuts. long term may mean increased benefits, but it is hard to think about the long term gain when faced with the short term pain.

Clinton--control

problems of contemporary politics. have little or no control over other politicians, not a great call for action

Clinton--orator

educated at Georgetown and Yale Law, attourney general of arkansas 2 yrs, governor 12 years, president 8 years practiced at appealing to people. remembered for sex scandal and economy on the rise.

Clinton--structure

intro, historical analogy to postwar US, economic policy today, conservative alternative, major competitors alternative, american building blocks, conclusion

Clinton--substructure

example of competitors, how they are like and unlike us. is the example representative? proves that it is through many different means. major strategy.

Clinton--other strategies

evidence, comparative statistics, refutative examples, extended example, persona, charts, refutation, comparative advantages, pilot example, climax construction, narrative.

Clinton--visual aids

numbers put in context and in relation to other numbers. good chart shows how the presidents measure up, comparative statistics.

Clinton--persona

reminds us that he did very well as president, but continues to acknowledge the argument of the other side.

oral. uses the first person, contractions, puts his own authoritative posture forward

Clinton--extended example

Tea party advocate who is in fact a hypocrite. clinton says this advocate represents all tea party enthusiasts

Clinton--plausibility

uses the example of Arkansas to show that it would work for the entire nation

Clinton--comparative advantage

their way hasn't worked. argument of logos.

realist argument that deals with the world the way it is, not generally a transformative argument. dreams are not logos centered appeals.

persuasive appeal of a person's character. people who we trust are more likely to be believed. based on our social capacity--capacity to work, live, dream, love with others.

orator's choices are right/wrong, sensible/stupid, just/unjust in terms of ethics. what is the appropriate way to behave in our community? take our own beliefs and measure them against the speakers'. stories about the speakers life tell what kind of person they are.

ethos--3 aspects

phronesis, arete, eunoia

practical wisdom, a sense of being smart. intelligence and a sense of practicality and knowing how to make good choices, do stuff. can be judged by figuring out the kind of person the speaker holds up as a model.

moral excellence. mind and body dualism, in sync. constantly trying to cultivate this. effortless quality to people who have this, naturally gifted.

good will, extremely important at this particular historical moment. trust people who aren't just in it for themselves, don't trust people who work on commission

ethos--contingent

we possess a shifting ensemble of roles, we fashion ourselves, speaker and audience differ over course of relationship. we change and become different things through our careers. depends on the assessment of the audience who makes these kind of judgments

track record, social position, cultural, political, economic capital. the kinds of things you bring with you to the speech.

narrative, identification, experiences, persona, language of community. speakers tell stories to identify with us. Obama telling the story of his life to explain how he understands the diverse and cosmopolitan nature of our nation. being able to use the lingo of the community.

RFK--cultural history

civil rights movement, violent disturbances in the past, that night, and that week. genre-confront, memorialize, continue

King's death, JFK, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers

nation spinning out of control. pueblo, vietnam-tet offensive, economic troubles, LBJ renunciation. lack of political options

Harvard and Yale Law, served in military, ran his brother's presidential campaign. highly controversial, motives for presidential run suspect, special expectations attached to his word.

RFK--strategies

understatement, repetition, memorialization, paradox, definition, forced choice, citation of king, metaphor-stain, personal narrative/identification, transcendence, maxim, parallel structure, action step, summary.

appeal to the emotions or passions of the audience. putting the audience into the right frame of mind to judge. social emotion as opposed to an individual item.

passionate and reasoned bias--physiological reaction and able to talk about the emotion. need of recognition/categorization--see, understand, give labels to the emotion. appropriateness--how much emotion you can show in public/level of self control. common experience--we share emotions when we have experienced something ourselves.

identification, attitude/belief/value systems, dissonance, scapegoat, fear

pathos--identification

establishing common ground. ideal--i share your political views, so i get that you like small government. material--modes of dress, to show you are like a certain group by showing yourself as a member of the group. formal--process of language itself, parallel structure, call and response, rhythm of prose.

pathos--belief systems

connected to other beliefs and values and make a coherent system. values are the core, held most strongly, beliefs are what we believe to be true or not true, easier to change, attitudes are likes and dislikes, easiest to change.

pathos--dissonance

something that goes completely against your beliefs, like nails on a chalkboard

pathos--scapegoat

put the blame on one person to make the problem go away

some of the most common, such as public health campaigns. people do not respond well. constraints and limitations, needs to be within a realistic frame for the audience

if the government compensates the Marshalls for additional injuries, it opens the door for everyone

Anjain--complexity

what causes what? very complex issue, scientifically

Anjain--cultural history

this is actually a resource, the Carter presidency opened up the government

Anjain has little in common with these senators, he faces a big issue with cross-cultural communication. does not even speak their language

Anjain--identification

no exterior ethos, his experience gives him credibility.

Anjain--narrative

his experience is representative, a logical example. first person personal narrative, common human experience of loss, pain, and suffering. make it seem as if everyone had gone through this using pathos by getting them to see it through his eyes.

Anjain--dissonance

powerful. being him and seeing his point of view becomes increasingly difficult. major rhetorical problems--complexity and his own credibility.

Anjain--edenic myth

beautiful Eden has been corrupted and changed because of us--making us Satan

Anjain--personalization

perfect example of pathos. can't use logos or ethos because he doesn't have credibility.

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