Rhetoric is an art form that captures the most compelling of social forces, argument. Argument is everywhere; it drives social life. The pinnacle of persuasion is that it isn't just an argument, but it is one that motivates an audience to fulfill your desires. The most productive of arguments uses the future tense, also known as the language of decisions. Aristotle developed three traits to determine a credible leader: virtue, disinterest, and practical wisdom. These three traits are more commonly referred to as ethos, pathos, and logos. By displaying these characteristics a speaker can build a better argument through the self-enhancement of his image. One argument tool mentioned in this chapter is a crisscross figure that repeats a phrase …show more content…
Ethos is one’s argument by character or how they build their reputation and credibility with an audience. Argument by logic, logos, involves the brain and pointing out evidence or statistics that increase the persuasiveness of an argument. A common argumentative tool utilizing logos is called concession, in which the speaker agrees with his opponent but builds on it with his point of view. Every argument has a flip side, therefore when a rhetorician can turn around his opponent’s shot to his advantage, his acknowledgement and refutal builds an even stronger argument in his favor. Desire, sympathy, anger, or any other emotions are all encompassed within pathos, used in order to draw out feelings from an audience and in succession preying on them. One common tool entailing pathos is to sympathize with the audience, wherein the speaker does not contradict the mood, but rather aligns with it. This technique shows the listeners that the speakers shares their concerns, but he must be careful not to over-sympathize and come across as ridiculing the group’s mood. Ethos, pathos, and logos are the three most effective and useful tools of …show more content…
A persuasive ethos consists of three essential qualities: virtue/cause, practical wisdom/craft, and disinterest/lack of bias. An audience tends to trust someone more when they realize they share values or a cause, in this situation the speaker only needs to appear as though they embody the audience’s values, personally they don’t have to agree with them. Values differ amongst various groups, what is normal to one may seem completely maniacal to another, therefore it is up to the speaker to read the audience and determine its values. The appearance of a well-known skill or knowing what to do provides the targeted group with a sense of comfort and trust for the expert. Coming off as impartial or caring only for your audience’s desires goes a long way in the interest of building ethos. Another way to craft a credible ethos is through bragging, but sometimes to avoid seeming cocky, one will have a witness brag for him. A speaker may appear self-sacrificial by revealing a tactical flaw that shows his dedication to the audience’s values, winning their sympathy. As a last resort, a speaker may change his position in the case that the argument is fully doomed against him. This is similar to the Eddie Haskell Ploy, which is a move that puts ones support behind the inevitable. Getting an audience to listen all depends