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Rhetoric Analysis

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The term rhetoric has a negative connotation in our culture today. Often after a commentator or politician gives an interview in the media, he will be criticized for using rhetoric, meaning that he has distorted the truth in order to persuade people to his side of an issue. Because of this definition of rhetoric, some may question whether this style of writing should be taught in an academic writing course. On further investigation however, the term rhetoric is confused with the term sophistry which actually does mean “persuasion aimed only at the appearance of truth” (Crider 4). Rhetoric, on the other hand, is a valuable and worthy art of truthful persuasion that uses contexts and strategies to convince others to agree with the author’s …show more content…
These strategies help the writer develop the contexts or purpose of his essay. The strategies include narration which tells a story, description which creates an image, and example which provides specific illustrations. The strategy of compare and contrast shows the similarities and differences between two ideas while the strategy of cause and effect shows reasons and consequences. Two more strategies are process analysis which uses steps or sequence and classification and division which uses categories. The last two strategies presented are definition which explains or limits meaning and persuasion which justifies or validates as issue (Tassell). In the course of the last seven weeks, each of the rhetorical contexts and many strategies have been illustrated and taught in this …show more content…
Both essays explain how to become a good writer; Stafford used example and process analysis and Roberts used narration and cause and effect to develop their contexts. Catton’s “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” also is written with a logos context and strongly uses the strategy of compare and contrast and example to build it. The ethos context is easily seen in “Salvation” by Langston Hughes who used the strategies of narration, description, and definition to develop his emphasis. Ethos is also the main context for “The Right to Arms” by Edward Abbey. Multiple strategies of example, cause and effect, compare and contrast, and persuasion were used in this short but powerful essay. “Genesis vs. Geology” by Stephen Gouldsep and “Why Don’t We Complain?” by William F. Buckley, Jr. were both developed with pathos being the primary context. Gouldsep wanted to convince his readers to a way of thinking, and Buckley wanted to convince his readers to an action. Gouldsep used the strategies of cause and effect, examples, and narration. Buckley’s primary strategy was narration, but he also used example and

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