Rhetoric is a mode of persuasion that allows a speaker to sway his audience to agree with him. In Aristotle's time, rhetoric was a true art; today, rhetoric does not have the importance it once did.
What are persuasive appeals?
Persuasive appeals are what orators and writers use to convey their arguments. Aristotle defined them as "ethos, pathos, and logos." In simple terms, these 3 appeals are very easy to understand. Ethos can be defined as the credibility of a speaker. Does the speaker seem to understand what he is talking about? Is he a reliable source for the subject? Pathos is a speaker's appeal to the audience's emotions. For example, if a representative from the Human Society was giving a presentation with the goal to raise money for new shelters, he might show some shocking, horrible pictures of stray animals. This would be his appeal to his audience's emotions. Logos can be defined as the appeal to the audience's logic. Is the speaker's argument organized? Does he speech easily flow from one topic to the next? If these answers are yes, then the speaker is using logic to persuade his audience. All of these persuasive appeals can be used simultaneously, yet independently.
What is a rhetorical situation?
A rhetorical situation is one in which a speaker is persuaded to give a response to a situation. According to Lloyd Bitzer in"The Rhetorical Situation, "rhetorical discourse comes into existence as a response to a situation, in the same sense that an answer comes into existence in response to a question, or a solution in response to a problem."
What is an audience?
An audience is a necessity for rhetoric. Every rhetorician speakers with a particular audience in mind. Without an audience, they would have no need to speak because there would be no one to persuade. An audience will either respond to rhetoric the way the speaker desires them to, or they will not.
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