Rhetorical Terms

Rhetorical Context Triangle

Audience

the listener, viewer, or reader of a text.

Concession

an acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable

Connotation

meanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its dictionary definition

Context

the circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text

Counterargument

an opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward

Ethos

Greek for character

Logos

Greek for embodied thought
speaker offers a clear, or rational idea

Occasion

the time and place a speech is giver or a piece is written

Pathos

Greek for suffering or experience. Known for an emotional connection with the reader

Persona

the face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience

Polemic

An aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others

Propaganda

the spread of ideas and information to futher a cause

Purpose

the goal the speaker is trying to achieve

Refutation

a denial of the validity of an opposing argument

Rhetoric

the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion
SOAPSTone

Rhetorical Appeals

rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasize what they find most important or compelling

Rhetorical Triangle

a diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience and subject in determining a text

SOAPS

a mnemonic device that stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker

Speaker

the person or group who created the text

Subject

the topic of a text

Text

generally means written word. now known as read