Wednesday/ Thursday May 15/ 16 Rhetorical analysis: logos, ethos and pathos

Coming up: Monday, May 20 summative assessement on logos, ethos and pathos. The format is the same as the Queen Speech, but you will write out 7 samples from the text.

In class: Wednesday we are reviewing the  anaphora/epistrophe practice that was handed out on Tuesday, followed by critical thinking practice on logos, ethos and pathos, which will be due at the close of Thursday. (class handout/ copy below)

Also on Thursday for those who have finished ALL the work on Thursday and owe me NOTHING. This includes make-ups from last Friday's quiz.  I have a bonus assignment worth up to 100 points on rhetorical devices in rap music. The bonus work is be completed individually. 

WHAT IS ANAPHORA?

Anaphora is when the first word or series of words in a phrase, sentence, or clause repeats itself for emphasis.

The most famous anaphora that we’re all probably familiar with comes from the opening lines of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. You know, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” etc.

Martin Luther King Jr. also used anaphora in his “I have a dream” speech, with the repetition of that famous phrase.

HOW ABOUT EPISTROPHE?

But what if the repetition happens at the end of the phrase/sentence/clause? Is there a term for that?

There sure is! That’s called epistrophe, or epiphora, or antistrophe. Take your pick; they’re all correct.

Examples of epistrophe appear in Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address ( “…and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”), and in Lyndon B. Johnson’s “We Shall Overcome” speech (“There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.“1).

There’s even a song by Thelonious Monk called “Epistrophy”, which uses notes in a pattern of epistrophe. Like anaphora, epistrophe is used to add emphasis.

Your turn: identify the rhetorical device

1. “What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?”

2.  If you had known the virtue of the ring,

Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,

Or your own honour to contain the ring,

You would not then have parted with the ring.

The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

3. “Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better”

4. For no government is better than the men who compose it, and I want the best, and we need the best, and we deserve the best. -John F. Kennedy

5. The moth and the fish eggs are in their place,

The bright suns I see and the dark suns I cannot see are in their place,

The palpable is in its place and the impalpable is in its place.

Song of Myself - Whitman

6. “This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,
This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings [. . .]
This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,”

7. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

8. The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divides us has come. - Nelson Mandela

9. When I was a child,

I spoke as a child,

I understood as a child,

I thought as a child.

Corinthians 13:11

10. If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it

Don't be mad once you see that he want it

If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it

Single Ladies - Beyonce

For each of the following, answer AND explain whether you think if logos is being used effectively

	Effective? Yes     No
“I need new jeans. Everyone in my class has new jeans.”			This isn’t an effective use of logos as the reasoning is not logical and convincing. Firstly, it’s highly unlikely that everyone has new jeans (hyperbole). Secondly, just because other people have new jeans, it doesn’t logically follow that the speaker needs them.
1.       “All men and women will die. You are a man. Therefore, you will die one day.”
2.       “Everyone has children. Therefore, everyone needs to think about the schooling of his or her children.”
3.       “You don’t need to jump in front of a train to know it’s a bad idea; so why do you need to try drugs to know if they’re damaging?”
4.       “Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. So why start smoking?”
“Every morning the rooster crows, then the sun rises. Therefore the rooster causes the sun to rise.”

	Ethos	explain
“You should definitely get help with your debt, & I say that as somebody with over 30 years experience of debt counseling.”	yes	The speaker is has referred to their extensive experience in this area, in order to give credit to their opinion. Somebody with over 30 years experience would surely know what he or she is talking about.
“As your father, I love you and only want 1         the best for you. Therefore when I ask you not to go, please listen to me.”
2. “We really should try that recipe. Someone told me that it was good.”
3. “The research – conducted by professors at Harvard University – suggests that you should learn a second language.
4. “Dentists all over the world are telling their patients the same things. You must floss regularly.”
5. “I read somewhere that bicarbonate of soda is really useful for cleaning. You should try it.”

 For each of the following, identify whether or not Pathos is used, and explain your reasoning.

	Explain
“Don’t be the last person to get one. You don’t want to be the laughing stock of your school!”	Here the speaker is appealing to the audience’s sense of pride by pointing out that they will be laughed at if they don’t get the product. This would make the listener/reader feel compelled to get it, in order to maintain their dignity and not hurt their pride.
1. “If you don’t purchase this life insurance, and something happens to you, how will your family survive?”
2. “We have been mistreated, abused and oppressed. They have benefited from our suffering and we must act now!”
3. “We live in a great democracy. So donate now and support the troops who are protecting our freedom.”
4. “Just eat and don’t complain. Children in Africa are starving and would give anything to have that plate of food.”
5. “Caring for the environment may not change your life, but it will change the lives of your children.”