Arrangement- Ideally, the rhetorical situation influences the writer's decisions.

Cicero's 6 part division for discourse:

1. Exordium: Introduction & Insinuation
2. Narration: Statement of Issue
3. Partition: divide the issue into major parts
4. Confirmation: major supporting arguments (evidence, examples, and analysis)
5. Refutation: anticipating and responding to objections
6. Peroration: Conclusion

Reading

1. Would people analyze the same data in a different way?
2. People have other data that would challenge/complicate your analysis.
3. Our data, our analysis challenges other people's interpretations.
4. Qualifying a statement on assertion.

Your Rhetorical Situation

If some one else performed the same research that I did with the editor of the WVU Alumni magazine, they would probably find a completely different angle to work at in order to compose their ethnographic research.

ARCS pg 318

Activity 2

John McCain's concession speech when Obama was announced the next President contained examples of insinuations, narrative, partitions and perorations as most of his speeches do.

The audience may not have been hostile, but McCain supporters were definitely in difference of opinion of those who voted for Obama. McCain begins his speech with "I had the honor of calling senator Barack Obama to congratulate him on being elected of the next president of the country we both love. In a contest and difficult as long as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance, but that he managed to do so by inspiring hopes of so many millions of Americans who once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence of an election of an American president, is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving." Here, he addresses the fact to his supporters that he has lost the election, but doesn't want them to lose hope in what is really at stake here, the best for our country. This also leads into the narrative, which is McCain is addressing them to inform that he has lost the campaign race.

His partition for an argument of definition by addressing the fact that losing to the first African American in this historical campaign should not be looked down upon by using the example of President T. Roosevelt inviting Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House. "America today is a world away from the cruel, frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African American to the presidency of the United Sates, let there be no reason now. Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth." McCain knows that many of his followers were against having a black man in office and he is reiterating the fact that our country has come a long way from its ignorance it contained centuries ago, and that should not deny Obama for doing well in presidency.

To conclude, his peroration included, "It is natural tonight to feel some disappointment, but tomorrow we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. We fought as hard as we could and though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours." Not only does he sum up the feelings his supporters feel, but he explains that the situation cannot be reversed puts the blame on himself.

Activity 3

I don't really see how Shapiro could make her speech any more direct if writing for a smaller publication. Her job entails her to write something for parents and if she writes for an alumni magazine, what good would that do?

Thesis: Since the artwork was designed by one person, there is a director in the creation process with several workers, which displays the communication skills that are necessary in composing the artist's work.

Ethos

Ethos: Character
1) "invented"- person within the written text

• good will
• good sense
• good character
  

2) "situated"-



Parents example
Author showed good character by making it a point to directly address the student when the parents were taking over the conversation. This shows how she is making it a point that the student needs to start answering for themselves as a sign of growing up and when the parents here how they present themselves they will learn that their son/daughter is capable of handling these kind of situations.

1st/2nd/3rd person active vs. passive qualifiers word choice punctuation
-"voice"
-"distance

Good Sense

• making the argument- "if we do x, then y will happen."
• EXAMPLES->1st person
• word choice (pairing)
• Qualifiers-"it is a complex matter"
  

Good Will

• acknowledges parents emotions/values
• word choice: confidence, grace
• Qualifiers-"some"..."most"

Good Character

• "trust"/responsibility/fair/honest
• (aggressiveness toward parents)
• situates herself as an advocate for both parents & students
• word choices
• examples (1st person)
  

Activity 1

Nineteen Minutes is the book I'm currently reading in my leisure time. The author, Jodi Picoult, writes a fictional story about a school shooting. She divides tales of the experience into several different speakers, including students, both male and female; the shooter himself; parents; lawyers; a detective; and a judge. Although the story is told out of sequence, making it more of a mystery, and between different people, it still contains a legit element of readability. Each character has a very clear mindset, use of language, and behavior pattern. It's evident that Picoult did a lot of research on people in their specific line of work for her characters. The detective explains all of the procedures he has to go through in solving this case, as well as the theories he has learned in psychology classes in dealing with victims. The judge is accurate with laws, cases and procedures in her courtroom. Even the students exemplify characteristics of people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Picoult established detailed and specific ethos for her characters, which make the book so realistic.

Activity 2

Since Picoult is a well known author, she does know her readers well and emphasizes it by using grammar that is simple, yet advanced and up to her readers’ standards. The fact that the mystery is resolved by the end of the book and readers aren’t left in the dark about any situation that was presented in the novel shows the author’s knowledge of her audience. Also, there are instances in the story where Picoult chooses to elaborate on intimate events of the characters to reveal personal information, causing them to be more vulnerable to sympathetic readers, displaying her use of close rhetorical distance.

Activity 6

A letter from Stephen Colbert to his viewers:

Dear My Fellow Americans,

While I was lounging next to my pool this weekend, sipping on a cool, crisp beer, reflecting on the many things I’ve had named after me this year…a jet, an insect, and a whale just to name a few…I realized there is something major in America that is currently nameless, but could be benefited by my name: a bear!

Nation, as you know from tuning into my show religiously, which I’m confident that you do, I have consistently theorized that bears are the number one threat to this country. Vicious + Dangerous + Cute = Empty picnic baskets!

I am asking YOU, Nation, for one loyal citizen to name a bear after me. I think having a bear in this country with a strong name like Stephen will help bridge the gap between innocent picnic-goers and bears. I can assure you that my bear would spread the word to all the other bears that humans are harmless, yet hungry and to stop messing with us. He would roam the earth with the mission of “bearing” (HAHA) this news to all bear families and finally ending this ongoing war we’ve faced for so many years.

Consider it.

Your Fearless Citizen,

Stephen Colbert

Logos Appeals

"Logical" within the realm of rhetoric deals with...


Premise: As someone's building an argument, a premise is an unstated assumption on which the argument is grounded.



Probability: likelihood; conclusion-> statements about human behavior-> common ideas/interests that people share.


Deductive Reasoning: If premises are true, then the conclusion must be true. Movement from general principles (class of items) to specific cases.



Inductive Reasoning: Movement from specific cases to general principles. "The skilled pilot is the best pilot. The skilled chariot is the best chariot. Therefore, a skilled person is the best person."


Enthymeme: Premises are unstated in the argument. Rhetorical arguments founded on assumptions that remain unstated.

If evidence doesn't fit the defendant, then you must aquit the defendant.

• Grounded in community values. -> Major Premise
• The glove is evidence. -> Unstated Minor Premise
• The glove doesn't fit the defendant. -> Stated Minor Premise
• If the glove doesn't fit, you must aquit.

Commercial: "Did anyone stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night?"

• We need some one who stayed at a Holiday Inn Express to help this man. -> Argument
• Smart people are the best people to handle difficult situations. -> Major Premise
• People who stay at a Hoida Inn Express are smart. -> Minor Premise

ARCS pg 186

Activity 1

In my roommate's issue of Cosmopolitan, there was an article in the back about violent boyfriends turning into killers. There were multiple stories of girls who had broken relations off with their men because of their violence and anger, which ultimately caused these troubled men to laps into dangerous criminals. The girls were found dead some where around their hometowns. Their premises throughout the rhetoric were:
Major Premise: Violent/angry men are not worth dating and need to get professional help.

Minor Premise: Girls should break off relations with violent/angry men.

Conclusion: Girls shouldn't date violent/angry men.

Ultimately, I think the proofs are read by the Cosmopolitan readers well. It's always good to raise awareness about situations this serious and what kind of signs a girl should look out for. However, my problem with this magazine is that I feel it to be one big contradictory enthymeme on its own. Throughout the magazine it displays all of the quality factors women look for in their dream men, show pictures of male models, and has stories of the most romantic weddings or engagement proposals. At the end, it has the scary stories about men being violent, abusive, cheating...whatever it may be. The magazine's enthymeme is:
Major Premise: Find your dream man here!

Minor Premise: Watch out for those scary, cheating, woman-beaters!

Conclusion: Your dream man is within these pages, just not the true life reads!


Activity 3

I think the premises for "Elvis has left the building" are:

Major Premise: The concert is over and people need to file out of the concert hall.

Minor Premise: Elvis has physically removed himself from the building because the concert is over.

Conclusion: Elvis has left the building.