Burke's Theory of Persuasion Essay

Language has the power to inform and persuade.A story and a passage may give you the power to do something effective. Language is a strong weapon that is used for and against many people. The article , ”Walking with Living feet,” is a strong brief example of an informative writing .A speech can also be an effective tool used to push people to make a difference at times,for example Elie Wiesel’s speech.

In the most widely quoted and discussed model of presidential power, Richard Neustadt states that the power of the president lies in the power to persuade. According to Neustadt, the key to presidential success and influence is persuasion. Although some may view the president as a powerful authority figure, the checks and balances established by the founders makes the president’s skills of persuasion crucial.

The first chapter introduced the reader to the art of rhetoric. He describes how rhetoric works through real life examples. He demonstrates ways that rhetoric persuades us like, argument from strength, and seduction. He tells the reader that the sole purpose of arguing is to persuade the audience. He showed that the chief purpose of arguing is to also achieve consensus, a shared faith in a choice.

The definition of persuasion is the action or fact of persuading someone or of being persuaded to do or believe something, In the play, The Piano Lesson, by August Wilson, persuasion is used by Boy Willie throughout the whole play using Logos, Ethos, and Pathos.

However, even this image of perfection (beautifully visualised in that crisp whiteness and brilliant green) is imperfect - and, even more disturbingly, Foulcher argues that all ideal conceptions are fallible, in an insistent repetition:

Many authors use rhetorical devices and strategies to get their point across and try to convince the reader to believe in their perspective. It can also be used to get emotions from its readers, but that isn’t really the whole point of persuading someone. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. uses an abundance of pathos in order to make the reader or clergymen feel sympathy towards the black people. Along with pathos, he uses logos and a bundle of hypophora. In order to obtain the goal of persuasion, Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter contains rhetorical devices.

The presence of guilt has been felt by all human beings. As guilt grows in a

The presence of guilt has been felt by all human beings. As guilt grows in a

Merriam-Webster defines perfection, in regards to religion, as “the theological doctrine that a state of freedom from sin is attainable on earth.” The desire for perfection, however, stems into all aspects of life in the form of perfectionism. It can be argued that there are three main manifestations of perfectionism: self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed (Flett and Hewitt 457). Self-oriented perfectionism is driven by one’s own desire to achieve high standards, and as such leads to higher rates of self-blame if not achieved (Flett and Hewitt 457). This form has been associated with anxiety, depression, low-self-regard, and anorexia (Flett and Hewitt 457). The second form is based on “interpersonal perfectionistic behavior,” which involves holding high expectations for others and leads to a lack of trust, feelings of hostility,

Gerard A. Hauser covers a plethora of details on how to create a well-made persuasive argument in his book, an Introduction to Rhetorical Theory; however, he covered three specific essentials that are necessary for persuasion: the components logos, pathos and ethos; purposive discourse and rhetorical competence; identification. I will argue for each constituent, respectively, to prove that persuasion cannot thrive without the aforementioned essentials.

Rhetoric is a course in which students are taught the values of persuasion. And yet, behind this course is the utmost power to corrupt the world, changing it into a world of our own policies. This power, even though seldom discussed, has lead to many intriguing discoveries. One such discovery is how people are able to shape the world they live in simply by choosing the right words. Therefore those who would want the world to be a better place must protect this power. If in the wrong hands this power could cause serious damage. Several authors have striven to protect rhetoric and its power. Few agree on the matter of defining rhetoric, but they know that they must protect rhetoric from dark souls. A single definition of rhetoric must maintain a simplistic nature while incorporating every aspect of rhetoric. However, I argue that rhetoric is a means of persuading audiences of a situation and a particular reality through language and personal appeal. In order to prove this definition I will discuss how rhetoric creates a situation, the shaping of a different reality, the audience, the use of language, and the personal appeal. Finally, I will demonstrate the absolute need for rhetoric.

While Bitzer’s insights into how one may think about the way in which rhetorical discourse acts upon and therefore alters the reality of a situation, it is difficult to see his point in stating that the “mere craft of persuasion” lacks philosophical warrant as a practical discipline. The clearest reason it seems, is implied from the examples that Bitzer uses, none of which are theological or religious in nature, but rather the examples he provides are usually political. Although one is left to speculate as to what categories Bitzer would include in sophistical rhetoric (other than a play or novel), might theological and religious discourse be subsumed under

Burke's Pentad includes five categories, which help classifying arguments as dramatic actions. The first part is the "act"; What is done by the unit? The second part of his evaluation is the "scene"; What is the history behind the "act"? The third category of Burke's Pentad is the "agent"; Who is the source of the message? How the "agent" accomplishes its "act" is defined as the "agency" in the fourth term of the Pentad. The final piece to Burke's analysis is to the define the "purpose" of the action.

“Weight Loss: Health Risk Associated With Obesity.” WebMD. WebMD. 04 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2011.

According to the text , Social Psychology, “social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another”(pg. 4) this is viewed in a variety of social topics incorporating group behaviors, attitudes, conformity, obedience to authority, stereotypes and peer pressure. Outside factors can have a positive or negative affect our view of ourselves and each other. These outside factors are used to persuade and influence group behavior. Persuasion is defined as “the process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors” (Myers, 2010, pg. 230). The principles of this process of persuasion according to researchers, Robert Cialdini and Thomas Davidson, are attractiveness and