Rhetoric and Writing Concepts

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Rhetoric

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The art of effective and persuasive speaking and writing

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Rhetorical Situation

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Unique circumstances shaping rhetoric; not controlled by writers

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Speaker

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The writer/author/persona creating the text

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Purpose

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The intended goal or reaction to the text

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Audience

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Intended listeners/receivers of the text

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Context

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Time, place, and 'climate' of the text

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Exigence

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Issue or situation prompting writing or speaking

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SPACE

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Acronym to help remember rhetorical situation: Speaker, Purpose, Audience, Context, Exigence

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Rhetorical appeals

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Qualities of an argument that make it persuasive: NOT rhetorical choices, but the EFFECT of rhetorical choices. The three major appeals are ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion).

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Ethos

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Appeal to credibility and shared beliefs (speaker-centered)