The Language of Composition, pg. 1-6

      What is rhetoric? Rhetoric, as I would define it, is the act of using clever literary devices to persuade the audience to favor your viewpoint towards something. In Lou Gehrig's speech, he talks about the good things in life, trying to overshadow his bad diagnosis. He tries to persuade the stadium to believe that even though he got a "bad break", he had a lot to live for. That's basically his thesis, or claim. He provides evidence(or examples, if referring to AXES) that support this assertion, such as he has "never received anything but kindness and encouragement from [his] fans." When I first read it, I couldn't help notice that I noticed (haha) that he used repetition to convey his point: "that's something!". He said this phrase many times and this is an effective rhetorical device. Speakers also use pathos, ethos, and logos. Pathos, or appeal to emotions, was used wen he used greatest, wonderful, honored, grand, blessing, diction with a good connotation. An argument that appeals only to emotions is descibed as weak because it presents an argument against an opinion. Logos, or reason, is when speakers/writers provide rational ideas that support the claim. It is actually beneficial to mention a counterargument, an idea that opposes your point. You first concede that it may be true but then, you refute the validity by proving it wrong. For example, in a persuasive essay I wrote last year, I tried to persuade the reader that school lunches should be changed to be more healthy by using organics. I proposed a counterargument, the problem that it would be more expensive and unaffordable for all. I refuted it, however, by talking about the hidden costs that come with "cheap" industrial farming. 30% of the oil we use is used in this method of farming, for example. Ethos is character appeal. It emphasizes the shared values between the writer and audience. For example, if the speaker and audience share qualities, like their both doctors, they are drawn by the similarities.
       There are a lot of literary devices that help convey rhetoric, or effective persuasion. Included are the appeals of ethos, pathos and logos. Tone plays a key role in ethos, as well as pathos. Well, I think that sums it up. Bye!