Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Chapter 6
This chapter was interesting, because it highlighted the true, historical significance and development of ethical arguments. While most rhetors relied on the rhetorical appeal of logos, it is important and necessary to also appeal in some way to the ethics and character of a person.
This chapter was helpful, because it highlighted various different linguistic options that a rhetor may engage in, to develop and make a strong argument that is based off of ethics, or ethos. Chapter 6 definitely showed the importance of using all three rhetorical devices in order to convey an argument, and it was interesting to read how much ethos truly depends on the style and character of the rhetor, and how these aspects will, in turn, effect the outcome or portrayal of an argument.
While it is important to make personal authority and credibility known, I do believe that it is also important to appeal strongly to all other aspects within the human spectrum, especially logic and emotion.
I felt that this lecture was helpful, because it is important when making a strong, cohesive argument, to address and analyze our audiences directly, by appealing to their character. While it is important to appeal to the authority of others, it is also important to realize that rhetorics is an art form, and from this lecture, I felt that I really took away the importance of correctly formatting and structuring an argument to make it as strong as possible.
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