Understanding the Powers of Persuasion

In chapter two of Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments. Chapter two discuss understanding strategies of persuasion. Techniques used to move and convince an audience are called rhetorical strategies. Chapter two helps you analyzing ads as arguments. Readers can detect rhetorical choices writers and artist use to make their points to the audience by analyzing advertisements. You can find advertisements strategies of argumentation that you can use to make your case in your own writing. Some strategies advertisers use are narration to sell a product, comparison-contrast to encourage the consumer to buy their product rather than their competitor’s. Examples or illustrations are used to show how products can be used in a person’s life. Cause and effect to demonstrate the benefits of using their product. Classification and division is used to help the reader conceptualize on how the product fits into a larger scheme.

Chapters two also discuss the three rhetorical strategies of logos, pathos, and ethos. When writing, you can use logos to construct an essay around facts and reason. When creating your own analysis, be careful not to rely on mistaken or misleading use of logos. This is called logical fallacies. Paths appeals to emotion. Pathos means to put the audience in a particular mood or state of mind. The word pathos includes the words pathology and pathetic, some speak of pathos as “the pathetic appeal.” Writers use pathos as a tool of persuasion to build a connection between the writer and readers by involving a powerful emotion. Ethos appeals to character and authority. According to Aristotle, ethos works as a rhetorical strategy by establishing credibility of the writer or speaker. This chapter suggests that you use ethos every time you begin to write.