Rhetorical Appeals

Question 1

Which parties are there at the UK 2010 general elections?

Answer 1

Conservative, Labour, Liberal-democrats

Question 2

Which party leaders are present at the UK 2010 general elections?

Answer 2

David Cameron (Conservative)
Gordon Brown (Labour – incumbent Prime Minister)
Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat)

Question 3

What do we know about Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg?

Answer 3

◼Media executive who has been Vice‑President for Global Affairs and Communications at Meta Platforms since 2018
◼Former politician:
- Member of the European Parliament (1999-2004)
- Member of the British Parliament (2007-2017)
- Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 and Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015.

Question 4

What are liberal democrats drawn to?

Answer 4

• Ideologically drawn to liberalism (a market-based economy supplemented with social welfare spending) and social democracy (like LGBT rights, drug liberalisation, education policy and criminal justice)
• It aims to constitutional reform (in favour of proportional representation)
• Pro-Europeanist, against Brexit

Question 5

What do we know about Gordon Brown?

Answer 5

◼Member of the British Parliament (MP) (1983 – 2015)
◼Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Blair government (1997 – 2007)
◼Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (2007 – 2010)
◼Most recent Labour politician and Scottish politician to hold the office of PM
◼Labour’s popularity declined with the onset of a recession in 2008
◼Brown’s government introduced rescue packages in 2008 and 2009 to help keep the banks afloat during the global financial crisis

Question 6

What do we know about David Cameron?

Answer 6

◼ Member of the British Parliament (2001-2005)
◼ Leader of the Conservative Party (2005 - 2016)
◼ Cameron sought to rebrand the Conservatives, embracing an increasingly socially liberal and centrist position.
◼ 2010 general election: Prime minister heading the coalition government with the Liberal Democrats – the youngest holder of the office since the 1810s.
◼ As promised in the election manifesto, Cameron set a date for a referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the European Union. He announced to be campaigning for Britain to remain within a “reformed EU”. He resigned after the referendum results became known.

Question 7

What were the results of the UK 2010 elections?

Answer 7

General elections were held on May, 6th 2010
Even though the Conservative Party won the largest number of votes, none of the parties achieved the 326 seats needed for an overall majority.
HUNG PARLIAMENT: no political party has an overall majority, and thus no party can reliably get its legislation through Parliament without the support of at least one other party.
Coalition talks between Cameron and Clegg started immediately after the election and lasted for five days.

Question 8

What can you say about the campaign for the UK 2010 elections?

Answer 8

In the course of the campaign, the three main party leaders engaged in a series of televised debates, the first such debates in the UK.
The Liberal Democrats obtained a breakthrough in opinion polls after the first debate as Nick Clegg proved to be the strongest performer.

Question 9

What are the three main functions of the discursive features of TV electoral debates?

Answer 9

*Praising oneself
*Attacking the adversary
*Defending from attacks

Question 10

What is rethoric?

Answer 10

It is a skill of persuasion through the use of language

Question 11

What were the three main fields in ancient Greece?

Answer 11

• Politics (agora ‘public space’)
• Law (forensic)
• Public praise or blame (epideictic)

Question 12

What are the three basic appeals of rhetoric?

Answer 12

Ethos, Logos and Pathos

Question 13

What is Ethos?

Answer 13

It is the attempt to establish the credentials to justify why you should be listened to character.

Question 14

What is Logos?

Answer 14

It is the attempt to present a plausible argument in a logical way

Question 15

What is Pathos?

Answer 15

It is the attempt to appeal to the audience’s emotions

Question 16

What is syllogism?

Answer 16

It is one of the most persuasive means of arguing.

• Major premise -> All men are mortal
  -Minor premise -> Socrates is a man
  -Conclusion -> Socrates is mortal

Question 17

What is enthymeme?

Answer 17

It is a type of argument based on an incomplete syllogism.

Major premise: Universities need a socially equitable means of funding.
[minor premise: A graduate tax is a socially equitable method of funding.]
Conclusion: People should support a graduate tax.

Question 18

Why is Pathos important?

Answer 18

Aristotle viewed emotions as cognitive in nature because they have a cause such as a source of fear or anger, and because they lead us to make evaluations which in turn influence our opinions and judgments.
Emotional responses can be influenced by reason, therefore Aristotle deemed acceptable for rational arguments to be influenced by emotions.

Question 19

What is dissociation?

Answer 19

An argumentative technique
that serves to resolve the
contradictions that a notion
that originally was covered by
a single term and that was
considered a unity.

Question 20

How can we recognize a dissociation? (2)

Answer 20

1- from an existing conceptual unit, expressed by a single term, one or more aspects are split off;
2- The two concepts are assigned a different value: the latter are to be preferred (and voted)

Question 21

What can we find in the posters during elections?

Answer 21

• a more openly confrontational style
• ofter resting on antithetical discursive devices
• satirical effects: parody / spoofs

Question 22

Make an example of antithesis

Answer 22

David Cameron: If you’re there for him, he won’t be there for you.
Antithesis can also be visual like “Davis camera on” and “David camera off”

Question 23

What is an example of parody during election on posters?

Answer 23

I let 80,000 criminals out early. Vote for me.
Or vote for change. Vote conservative.

Question 24

What is spoof?

Answer 24

It is a humorous imitation of something, typically a film or a particular genre of film, in which its characteristic features are exaggerated for comic effect.
For example writing “I changed my ad agency. I can change the country”