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Rhetoric, Rhetorical Devices, and The Rhetorical Situation
Fill Out this Hand Out using the slides above. (You'll need to make a copy and paste/submit it in the Google Classroom Assignment when finished).
The FIVE Canons of Rhetoric
More content on the 5 Canons of Rhetoric in the doc attached here (scroll to the next pages for content on each Canon).
An Example of Rhetoric in Action:
Mr. Rogers & The Power of Persuasion [Rhetoric]
Analyze Mr. Rogers' use of rhetoric to answer the following questions:
- What was Mr. Rogers' purpose?
- What rhetorical devices did he use?
- Which of those devices was most effective?
- What was the rhetorical situation Mr. Rogers & PBS were in? (In other words, what was the exigence? who was the speaker (and who did the speaker also represent?)? what was the context? who was the audience?)
- How did Mr. Rogers address the rhetorical situation?
- What elements of the 5 Canons of Rhetoric stood out in Mr. Rogers' argument?
Rhetoric is defined as the art of persuasion.
When you are in situations where you must persuade others to think or do something, you enter what is called The Rhetorical Situation. This can be a formal presentation with many people in an audience, a small group in a classroom, or even simply a request from a friend or a parent. Knowledge of and the ability to effectively use these tactics can greatly enhance your chances in the arguments you find yourself in throughout life.
Use the following ACRONYM to help you recall several key components of the "Rhetorical Situation:"
The Rhetoric of Pulp Fiction: Analysis of Ezekiel, 25:17
Analyze the rhetoric of the quote from Ezekiel:
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.”
(Said to be Ezekiel, 25:17, but in fact, only a portion of this speech is from Ezekiel). Here is some background on Ezekiel, if you are interested.
Here is a source with a more accurate representation of the text of Ezekiel. One question we can ask: How did Tarantino change the quote, and what are the purpose(s) for doing so? Did the change make a rhetorically stronger, or weaker, argument?
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