So learning about the rhetorical situation and argument tips this week reminded me of when we had to write persuasive essays in Lit/Comp 9. I can't exactly remember what I wrote about, but I do kind of remember not learning about these things.I also remember that I got a B on that essay... so having a little checklist like the rhetorical situation Prezi gave us seems quite useful- subject, purpose, audience, persona. I noticed how this tied in quite nicely to the points on making a good argument, because to make a good argument (whether in an essay or even in real life), you must first consider all the points in the rhetorical situation before you can decide what combinations of arguing you want to use- pathos, ethos, and logos. I already knew that I use a lot of logos when I argue with people in general- I try to use facts to explain why they are wrong- but I didn't realize that I use pathos as well when things are getting hard, because if you think about it, appealing to someone's emotions is a very powerful way to make a point to them.
[note: I think this post is quite short. I'll edit it if I think of more ideas or examples.]
[note: I think this post is quite short. I'll edit it if I think of more ideas or examples.]
With the exception of agreeing with your "this post is short" I'm struggling to come up with constructive comments.
ReplyDeleteWell...here goes: I wasn't at Okemos in 9th grade so I can't really comment on the Lit/Comp 9 essays, but I can relate to your observations on pathos, ethos, and logos. Since writing this post have there been opportunities were you could use these different arguments in your class writing?
What arguments do you think the different characters in "American Dream" would use?
I remember writing that essay too! I think that the rhetorical situation power point would've really come in handy then, especially since we had to make a speech out of the paper too (Did you have to do that too?). You do seem like kind of person to use logos to argue with people, since you are really smart! Do you use logos a lot while you're writing too? or do you use the other techniques as well?
ReplyDeleteSpecifics are always good, so I'd love to see some more examples. Why do you think you always rely on logos to prove a point? Do you think you'll be able to use more pathos and ethos sometime in the future? In what situations?
ReplyDelete