One thing that comes up repeatedly is how important it is to have all critical components of rhetoric present when writing. The parts of writing do not work when they stand alone. Ethos seems to be the best way to begin a writing because it can gain the attention of the audience by reaching out to their emotions and drawing them in. There is a lot of things that ethos accomplishes, however, ethos can be too overpowering and hinder the success of the writing. I think a definition of rhetoric that I am beginning to see is that rhetoric is not only the art of persuasion but also the art of balance. A successful piece of writing will depend on the balance that is struck up between the different parts of rhetoric that we have been discovering throughout the classical period and now in the medieval period. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are the three arguments primarily used in writings. But too much of one can make the writing ineffectual and not only that but each audience will be more receptive to different tactics. That is also something that has been picked up along the way throughout the readings.

The use of language is also important for the success of the argument being made. The use of positive and negative words is an important tactic that sets up the argument by setting in the feelings the author has to the subject that is being presented. The example of the woman writing about Sarah Palin and President Reagan was very interesting to examine and her choice of words created the tone that made her emotions so strong that they affect the reader. Diction is an important part of creating an argument because strong word choices, that have strong emotions attached to them, create an image in the mind and when used correctly affects the reader’s emotions on a certain subject. Playing on the readers emotions continues to be a critical part of an argument.

With the readings all piling onto each other, and each author continuing the argument made by an author before, makes the definition of rhetoric more complicated and thorough. While some things are reinforced, new things are added in and I think that is what is beginning to reveal how an arguments success is dependent upon the balance of the components within the writing. Part of rhetoric is persuading through the balance of the argument.

The five parts of rhetoric are invention, disposition, style, memory, and delivery. If any of these components are missing then the whole art of rhetoric is ruined and useless. Every part of a speech is critical for its success. In the same way ethos, pathos, and logos all work together to form a successful argument. It is important to shift the strength of your argument to best fit the audience you will be trying to reach out to. When reaching out to people who are more oriented around science and math it would make more sense to focus on logos in order to connect with them. Even though you can focus in on one part of rhetoric, logos, ethos, and pathos should be used and the five parts of rhetoric should always be used together. If you’re reaching out to moms through one of those magazines the stories mostly use ethos and pathos. Using narrative as the style of the writing would be a good way to put pathos to use. Developing ethos is what makes the authors writing more credible. If you build yourself up to connect with the audience they are more likely to continue to read and listen. Also developing ethos, groups you with the audience and by finding common ground the audience will more likely accept you and then accept your ideas. The important part of the argument is that all the factors are put in together. The only difference is that now a day memory and delivery aren’t as important, because so much of writing is through media sources. Memory isn’t important as we now have screens for presenters to read off of while presenting. The politicians delivering their speeches also have people who write for them. While memory and delivery have loss importance in rhetoric, disposition, invention, and style are all critical factors in the success of a writing. Ethos, and pathos are dependent upon the style and the way the argument is formed. 

Pezzulo starts her writing with a background story of her life. She begins her writing use ethos and attempts to draw people in that way before she continues on with her writing. There are many ways to begin a piece of writing. I think there are a lot of bonuses to beginning this way. If you start by explaining your character then it can make the rest of your writing more influential and people may trust it more if you set yourself up to be a credible source of information. Character was said to be the pattern of behavior of personality found in an individual. If you’re explaining something about yourself, some of that pattern will be revealed and that is how the audience will understand your character (Crowley, Hawhee, 147).

Part of rhetoric during the beginning of the medieval age was used to move the audience to understand and apply meaning to their lives and that is still a significant role that rhetoric continues to play. Christianity and religion in general use rhetoric every time they speak. They try to move their audience to apply what they are teaching to their everyday life. Rhetoric was affected a lot by Christianity who did not support classical learning. But the Crusades brought classical learning back as the Arabs interacted with them and provided insight into a different culture that had different types of learning and different kinds of information. It is the arrival or reappearance of classical learning that led into the Renaissance and since rhetoric is invention of the speech I think it is clear how rhetoric continued to be developed through the Renaissance which is an era of invention and progress.

Hildegard of Bingen was the first woman who contributed to rhetoric and it’s interesting how she was considered the “father of the church” even though she was a woman and the only woman who has an entire volume devoted to her. And yet she is called a Father. It’s an example of the kind of behavior woman are pointing out and going against today.

 Style and arrangement are a very important part in speech and writing and can really change the affect it has upon the audience. The three techniques to be used in writing and speaking are logos, pathos and ethos. These are the main ways to form a successful argument, by connecting to the audience on an emotional level, by being logical and having evidence, like statistics, to support your argument, and connecting with the audience so that they believe you are someone they should listen to and trust. How we arrange our speech matters because different audiences will be attracted and drawn to different things and respond differently than others. The premise and conclusion are two critical parts of the argument. If the conclusion does not support your premise then the argument is unsuccessful, obviously. A probability was defined as any kind of statement that predicts something regarding human behavior. The idea was to be able to make a statement and then prove how your premise was correct. It was advised to start with accepted premises and then move on to ones that are not as widely accepted. I think that is a good way to start any argument because you can draw people in by pointing out things they do know and then flip to something related but different and show them why what you are presenting is correct. I think Socrates did this all the time. He would take examples of what a person would do in a situation according to what they themselves had stated they would, and then added in a different situation where what they had said they believed became more complicated. He would then wrap it by saying so then isn’t it this and the second debater would either be forced to accept what Socrates had said or find some way to prove how his original idea was correct. I’m thinking more specifically about when he is talking with a man who is headed to the courthouse to put his father in jail because his father had murdered someone. I’m not going to lie Socrates is one of my least favorite people but he makes this argument into a complicated one twisting this man (I cannot think of his name) into knots, although the man manages to stick to his original stance on the issue. What I am trying to get at is how important arrangement and style is, and I think a good technique for an argument is starting with what people know and then leading them down a different path with that knowledge. That also deals with common topics and is another way they can be used in an argument.

Aristotle lays out the three parts of persuasion in detail that was at times quite befuddling. The main three parts are how to produce, present and arrange persuasion in a speech. An important part of speech is how it is presented. This refers to specific word selection, because there are many ways to say the same thing and how it is said affects how the audience will react. Framing is an important part of a speech and different word arrangements can create different tones and change how a speech is received by the audience. For example prohibiting vs. protecting create two different feelings in an audience. Saying we should prohibit abortion sounds different than we should protect unborn children but they mean the exact same thing. Aristotle said rhetoric is about demonstrating and that when we are persuaded when something has been successfully demonstrated. Demonstrating what is right and what is good should be easier than demonstrating what is wrong and bad, therefore in a court room setting if the judge were to come to an incorrect conclusion the fault would lie on the speakers. The judge in a court room is meant to be unbiased and not perverted by personal emotions which is why rhetoric isn’t just about persuasion based off emotions. Rhetoric’s function is not just to persuade but also to demonstrate the truth, which was an important topic to Aristotle.

On page 103 Socrates tells Polus that his goal is to make Polus adopt his doctrine and maintain it. I think this could be considered a definition of rhetoric. It involves using speech as a tool to persuade someone to agree with them and support their belief. Rhetoric involves ethos, logos, and pathos. Gorgias in this chapter has a great reputation, he’s is spoken of frequently as a great rhetorician who would answer any question. It was his reputation and credibility that attracted Socrates and began this conversation. It is his credibility that makes what he has to say important and valid enough to be persuasive. Socrates continuously creates more questions that can’t help but make Polus see holes in his argument.

 In chapter 3 we see how to use simple and complex Questions. The example questions “Is it a good or a bad thing”?, “should it be sought or avoided?”, “ Is it right or wrong?”, and “is it honorable or dishonorable?”(pg. 69). These are the way Socrates frames his questions when he is talking about whether it is worse to be the wrong doer than the person who was wronged. He’s asking which is right and which is wrong, he asks is it a bad thing or a good thing. I can see why these questions are beneficial for an argument because it forces them to dig deeper in order to find an answer that supports their position in the argument. If they cannot find an answer that supports their position then they have been forced to recognize a flaw in their thinking, and if the other person who is doing the asking has positive responses to give it becomes even more persuasive.

I have experienced this when I think something is right but when I am questioned and asked to explain something, sometimes I cannot. This makes me think about the topic longer and though maybe eventually I can find an appropriate answer, more than likely I will adjust my position. I don’t always agree with who I am debating with, but my position will change enough that I have been persuaded to agree that I am incorrect. Rhetoric and persuasion is what we use to communicate civilly, and to come to a peaceful agreement on the best way to perform certain activities. Rhetoric is an important part of communication and its development has played a large role in how our society communicates. Rhetoric is an important part of speeches spoken by someone running for a government position, they try and out do their competition by persuading a larger part of the population and therefore taking the position they desired. In this situation getting people to agree with you is very important for your future. Being able to communicate well is a very important part of how things are decided in our society.