Rhetorical Appeals
This rhetorical appeal is based on logic and facts.
What is logos?
This fallacy attacks the person making the argument instead of the argument itself.
What is Ad Hominem?
This is the main point or message the author is trying to get the audience to accept.
What is the Claim?
This is information used to support the author's claim
What is Evidence?
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)
What is Ethos? (Appeals to the foundational credibility of the Founding Fathers and the nation's history.)
An appeal to this element focuses on the speaker's credibility and trustworthiness.
What is ethos?
Saying, "Everyone is buying this new phone, so it must be the best," is an example of this fallacy.
What is Bandwagon or Ad Populum?
A claim that asserts something is or is not true, such as "Climate change is real," is this type of claim.
What is a Claim of Fact?
Specific instances or stories used to illustrate a point, often drawn from personal experience or observations.
What are Anecdotes or Examples?
"We've had enough of the current policy. If we allow this to continue, next we'll have mandatory curfews for everyone, and soon after, the government will be telling us what to eat! Where does it stop?"
What is the Slippery Slope fallacy?
Using an emotional story or powerful imagery to persuade an audience appeals to this element.
What is pathos?
This fallacy attempts to distract the audience by introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original argument.
What is Red Herring?
A claim that argues for or against a specific course of action or solution, often using "should" or "ought to."
What is a Claim of Policy?
This type of evidence comes from numerical data, studies, or surveys.
What are Statistics?
"I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all." (Queen Elizabeth I, Speech to the Troops at Tilbury)
What is Pathos? (Appeals to the deep trust, loyalty, and emotional bond between the queen and her subjects.)
When a commercial features a doctor in a lab coat recommending a medicine, they are primarily establishing this appeal.
What is ethos?
This fallacy occurs when you incorrectly suggest that one event must inevitably follow another without a logical chain of causation.
What is Slippery Slope?
This is the specific part of a text that states the author's primary position on a debatable issue.
What is the Thesis Statement?
Quoting an expert or an official document is an example of using this kind of evidence.
What is Testimonial or Authority-based Evidence?
"Women comprise more than half the world's population, 70% of the world's poor, and two-thirds of those who are not taught to read and write. If women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish." (Hillary Clinton, UN World Conference on Women)
What is Logos? (Relies on verifiable statistics and a logical cause-and-effect argument.)
Presenting verifiable statistics, such as "9 out of 10 dentists agree," primarily utilizes this appeal.
What is logos?
This fallacy misrepresents an opponent’s argument to make it easier to attack, often making it seem weaker or more extreme than it is.
What is Straw Man?
A claim that expresses a judgment about the goodness or badness of something, such as "Vanilla ice cream is the best flavor."
What is a Claim of Value?
Evidence based on widely accepted truths or general scientific findings that do not require specific attribution.
What is Common Knowledge or Established Fact?
"It shall be my work this evening to prove to you that in thus voting, I not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizen's right, guaranteed to me and all United States citizens by the National Constitution, beyond the power of any State to deny." (Susan B. Anthony, "Is it a Crime for a U.S. Citizen to Vote?")
What is Logos and Ethos? (She uses the Constitution (logic/facts) to structure her argument while simultaneously establishing her credible identity as a rights-claiming citizen, thereby asserting both appeals.)