Argument, Persuasion, and Rhetoric
Terms and Concepts
- Know and be able to identify the following persuasive appeals:
- Logos
- Pathos (be able to identify WHICH emotion is appealed to)
- Ethos
- Know the meanings of each of the following terms and be able to identify them in argumentative texts.
- Rhetoric
- Persuasion
- Argument
- Counterargument
- Fact
- Opinion
- Issue
- Position
- Assertion
- Know and understand the following rhetorical terms and literary devices:
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Parallelism
- Repetition
- Anaphora
- Asyndeton
- Analogy
- Know and be able to identify the following logical fallacies:
- Bandwagon
- Unproven generalization
- Overgeneralization
- Stereotyping
- Circular reasoning
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc
- Either/or fallacy
- Oversimplification
- Ad hominem
- Non sequitur
- Slippery Slope
Argumentative Structure
Given a specific claim, be able to choose reasons and evidence in support of that claim.
“I Have a Dream” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Be able to identify the main claim of King’s speech.
- Be able to identify what evidence King uses to support his claim.
- Understand the use of allusions in the speech and what they do (ex. allusions to Lincoln, Declaration of Independence and Constitution, patriotic songs, etc.).
- Be able to identify and answer questions about examples of anaphora, parallelism, repetition, asyndeton, and metaphor in the speech.
- Know the content of King’s speech. In other words, what does he say?
- Be able to identify counterarguments that King addresses throughout his speech.
“Testimony Before the Senate” – Michael J. Fox
- Know the basic information of the speech – speaker,audience, occasion, purpose, and subject.
- Be able to identify the main claim of Fox’s speech.
- Be able to identify what reasons and evidence Fox uses to support his claims.
- Be able to choose and explain examples of pathos and logos in the speech.
- Be able to explain what creates ethos if Fox’s speech.
“A Whisper of AIDS” – Mary Fisher
- Know the basic information of the speech – speaker, audience, occasion, purpose, and subject.
- Be able to identify and explain examples of pathos and logos in Fisher’s speech.
- Be able to explain what evidence Fisher uses to support her argument.
- Be able to explain what creates Fisher’s ethos.
- Be able to identify and explain repetition, asyndeton, and the use of metaphors in the speech.
Cold Read
As always, you will be given one or two texts that you have not read before. These will be persuasive speeches or essays. You will need to be able to answer questions regarding claim, reason, evidence, fact, opinion, assertion, ethos, pathos, logos, literary elements, and rhetorical devices.