Comment to Jason’s Blog, Wrapping my mind around the Rhetorical Triangle:

Thank you for your posting Jason, you summed up the rhetorical triangle in an easy to understand explanation. I agree that in order to bring up an argument you must have a hot topic, reasons for the topic and target your audience their language and understanding to submit the logos. I think wrote a very good explanation on how to use the rhetorical triangle in writing for others.

I am not an arguer and I am not interested in debates with other people. I am assertive to what specifically pertains to me or my family, it takes reasons, interests and values to even peak my attention into any other realm to get me into an off subject I am not into.

The rhetorical triangle........

The rhetorical triangle is the Ethos, Logos and Pathos of the writing argument. Ethos to me is the “who is the writer”, is the writer credible? WHO are they and why should I listen to them or hear them out? The Logos is the message that the writer is bringing out or what they want to get across to their audience. The Pathos is the audience, WHO is the writer trying to get their message (Logos) across to? Does the writer bring about emotions to the audience? Did the writer touch the audience?

The rhetorical triangle to me is like an argument or subject that someone is trying to get me to think about. I can write emails or texts to my friends and family and sometimes they get my slang and sometimes they do not and then I have to explain myself to them because they could totally get me wrong. You have to be aware of your tone in your writing, this would be my Pathos. My Logos is my purpose for contacting them in the first place. My Ethos is who I am, my close personal friends know me and know how I am, but you my peers do not know me and may have never met me other than in my online class.

I want to write a book about urban fiction. My only ethos is my personal experience, what I have read about or what I have seen on television or in movies. My logos are my subjects like about a girl who grew up poor could overcome that socioeconomic status or about how a middle class suburbanite could have dwindled down to the depths of the streets. This is my message to my readers about chaotic, drama filled lives if they chose that path. My pathos is the emotional spiral of a ghetto, dramatized life that some people have been born into or who have brought themselves into.  

Another analogy is how my husband is always trying to get me to see things his way, and how I am not too sure about his logic or reasoning of the subject. I have my own personal values, beliefs and morals that I have been steadfast in so far in my life. I do agree with him on some subjects and his evidence, reliability, and beliefs have made his arguments sway me to his understanding. However, he is my ying to my yang. We are total opposites and it’s a miracle we have stayed together for so long. But if he was too much like me we probably wouldn’t have made it this far either. I may be strong in one area where he is stronger in another. This has worked for us so far, knock on wood.

I could also apply this rhetorical triangle to my current job, I have to listen to my clients (ethos), they tell me their situation (logos), and I hear them out (pathos). I do not judge them or label them; my job is to determine their current eligibility. I am the ethos, their situation is the logos and the pathos is the empathy I hear in their tone of voice when they are relaying their message to me.

I love this rhetorical triangle in writing arguments; it helps to keep your morals, values, and beliefs in check when writing to your specific audience.

Reading summary.....

The three main chapters explain how we must consider the assumptions of our writing arguments, how to get the reader’s attention by properly examining our argument by use of the Toulmin system, how STAR is used and applied in our writing argument, and how the rhetorical triangle is used within our writing arguments.

Chapter four explains to us the use of assumptions and how our audience must assume our argument of rhetorical writings. The core of an argument is the use of the enthymeme is an incomplete argument that the reader or audience assumes is the underlying argument. A successful argument depends on what the arguer says and on what the audience already has in mind. The Toulmin system is that all assertions and assumptions are contestable by opposing counsel and that all final verdicts about the persuasiveness of the opposing arguments will be distinguished by a neutral third party such as a jury or judge. Our text also explains that a successful argument require three components, a claim, a reason and the grounds. The warrant is the first form of the argument which is the value, belief, or principle of the argument; the grounds are the support or reasons for the argument, and the qualifier which is the backbone of the argument to enforce the basis of the argument.

Chapter five explains on how to use evidence effectively, in order to use evidence persuasively the writer must use STAR criteria. STAR means: Sufficiency is there enough evidence; typically, is the chosen evidence representative and typical; Accuracy is the evidence accurate and up to date; and Relevance, is the evidence relevant to the claim? In order to make a sound argument you must provide enough evidence for your audience to even make an assumption of the argument. You have to use typical evidence that is logical or makes sense to your reader in order for them to consider your argument. Your evidence must be substantiated in order to find reasoning in an argument. The relevance of your argument must match up with your sufficient, typical and accurate relevant evidence to make a reasonable argument.

Chapter six explains that in order to move your audience you will use Ethos, Pathos and Kairos to support your writing argument. The three persuasive appeals are the emotional and empathic piece of your writing argument. Ethos is the piece that makes you a trustworthy writer, a writer gets this by correctly citing where they have received their information to substantiate the argument. This is an earned title; the ethos of a writer lets the audience be judge of them. Can they trust the writer or the writer full of it? The pathos is audience based and focused on how to appeal to your audience. This means the writer has a specific audience who they are trying to reach out to such as sports fans or medical based arguments or findings for an intended audience. The writer focuses on what their audience may be into and uses persuasion that will interest or appeal to them. The Kairos or logos are the quality of the argument and the appropriateness. In order for an argument to be considered you may want to write about what is a current event or subject in order to get the audience’s attention. If your writing about old news, who will be interested? You have to consider what you’re up against to make an argument worth your while to even bring up.

Anyone can write what they want to and it should matter to you what you are writing about and should make sense. If you are writing for an audience, your writing must make sense, have thorough evidence and be appealing.