The Power of Proofs

When I first learned that each member of our class was responsible for creating and maintaining a blog specifically on rhetoric in our lives, I was convinced mine was going to be a bust.

Rhetoric, I thought, was going to be a subject on which it was incredibly difficult to blog.

Rhetoric, it seemed, was something used only by politicians and people of a high social standing — in other words, the untrustworthy.

But rhetoric, as it turns out, is something I use on a nearly daily basis. The simplest of conversations can contain plenty of rhetoric.

Take into account a discussion had by my mama and I just today. Over the course of a few hours, I did my best to convince her that our traveling to Cancun this summer would be an amazing decision.

(My cousin graduates high school this May, and her requested graduation gift is for our whole family — cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings — to spend a week in Mexico.)

My mama, however, displaying her confidence and skill after years of arguing with her favorite and only child, took her time pointing out many reasons why this trip could not be had: time, expenses, work — you name a reason, she used it. As the minutes of intense rebuttal droned on, I was sure my side, which very much so favored the trip to Cancun, could not withstand.

(http://www.roamintl.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Cancun2.jpg)

Really though, how could you say no?

However, I remembered from the Rhetoric and Civic Life textbook, and from the second day of class, Aristotle's three types of rhetorical proofs: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos played on character, pathos on emotion, and logos on logic.

And boom, there it was. I was now armed with the power of rhetoric and could hold my own in this familial battle of reason.

Once it was my turn to speak, I worked strategically. I would work from pathos to logos to ethos, then back to logos, and finally ending on pathos — my mama is always a sucker for the emotional debate.

I stood firm by my points.

1. You and I haven't had a vacation since middle school — we've never even left the country! — and this could be a really fun time for the both of us. (pathos)
2. We have until June to save our money — and hey, I'll pay for my plane ticket! (logos)
3. You know I'm a very responsible adult-like person, and would use this trip not only for fun, but also for sightseeing and investigating the culture. (ethos)
4. Actually, I've even already checked out the price of flights and accounted for meals and activities for our week there. It's totally feasible. (logos)
5. Finally, do you know how long it's been since our entire family has been in the same location for more than a few hours? I can't even remember a time. This will be an amazing bonding experience for the whole family, supplying with memories and laughter for years to come. (pathos)

...As my mama started calling relatives and figuring out flight details soon after our conversation, I considered it a well-wrought victory. Thanks, Aristotle — you're the best.

So next time you're caught on the losing side of an argument, whip out Aristotle's three rhetorical proofs. Statistics say you'll be in for a very happy result.

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