The first major point is to learn how to control the tense, mood, and argument.
Tense
She: Can you turn down that a little?
He: You're the one who set the volume last.
She: Oh, really? Then who was blasting “Free Bird” all over the place this afternoon?
He: So that's what this is about. You hate my music.
Blame: You’re the one who set the volume last.
Values: So that's what this is about. You hate my music. (Pg 28)
The further implication of Aristotle’s distinction is that, by controlling the tense of an argument, people can implicitly control the content of that debate by shifting the debate to the future tense. A rhetorician can shift from discussing values to discussing actions. The reason that deliberative debates are usually more productive than demonstrative debates is that people are almost always more willing to budge on their actions than on their core beliefs.
Mood
You: She called the Boy Scouts a fantastic organization.
Me: Well she's entitled to her—
You: On Halloween? When my little boy comes to her stoop wearing his older brothers uniform?
Me: How do you—
You: I was there. When he started to cry, she said, “ if you turn out to be gay, you'll be glad you met me.” Then she looked straight at me and slammed the door. (Pg 86)
People intuitively identify with other people’s stories when told in the first person; therefore, a great way to build pathos, whether in a big speech or a joke, is to tell lots of good stories. Even though emotions are involuntary and often uncontrollable, emotional appeals often need to be rehearsed and planned. People want to feel that they belong to a given group; therefore, a good rhetorician can appeal to a big crowd by either criticizing someone the crowd doesn’t like or alluding to the crowd’s common identity.
Argument
Me: You mean I should vote Democrat because that'll help the middle class?
Pollster: I'm not supposed to answer questions.
Me: I only answer questions. You didn't ask one.
Pollster: Yes sir. I did. I said…
Me: You're right. Actually, You asked two questions: Do I plan to vote Democrat and, do I want to help the middle class? Now, which would you like me to answer?
Pollster: Click (Pg 143)
Logos could be the most obvious part of an argument, Jay doesn’t discuss it until after discussing ethos and pathos at great length. In doing so, he emphasizes that logic isn’t the be-all, end-all of debate. logos is often more concerned with enlisting logic in order to make a strong point. A completely rational persuader who doesn't draw on values and attitudes will never be as successful as a rhetorician who employs logos in all its forms. Induction and deduction can be powerful bases for an argument, especially if they’re bolstered with stories, facts, and comparisons. Logos may not be the be-all, end-all of arguing, but it’s an important aspect of a good argument.
The second major point is Character, Logic, and Emotion.
Character
Me: Doh-de-doh, look at me, here I go off to work wearing shorts . . . Don’t I look stupid?
George: Yes. (Continues to pull shorts on.)
Me: So why do you insist on wearing shorts yourself ?
George: Because I don’t look stupid. And they’re my legs. I
don’t mind if they get chaffed.
Me: Chapped. (Pg 39)
Logic
me: Our research shows that readers love beau- tiful covers without a lot of type.
me: I know that clean covers violate the usual rules for selling
boss: Beautiful covers. Sure.
magazines on the newsstand, but we should test dual cov- ers: half of them will be crammed with the usual head- lines, and half of them with a big, bold image—very little type.
boss: Clean covers. Great idea. How’ll that af- fect your budget?
me: It’ll cost a lot. I’m gambling on selling more magazines.
me: Uh, no. But I tell you, boss, I’m pretty
boss: So you haven’t budgeted for it. Confident about this.
boss: Sure. I know you are. Well, it’s a great idea. Let’s circle back to it at budget time. me: But that’s nine months from—
boss: So what else is on your agenda? (Pg 42-43)
Emotion
little girl: I lost my balloon! you: Awww, did you?
(Little Girl cries louder.)
you: (still trying to look sad while yelling over the crying): What’s that you’re holding?
little girl: My mom gave me a dinosaur.
you (cheering up): A dinosaur!
People tend to respect logical arguments and ignore or try to ignore emotional pleas, but in fact, no good argument is purely logical. The best rhetoricians understand how to combine logic with emotion and authority to convince the greatest number of people. A good student of rhetoric knows how to defend a position and, perhaps even more importantly, recognize other people’s style of argument. Fighting is about a strong offense, and refusing to accept an opponent’s authority in any way. Arguing, by contrast, is about accepting an opponent’s ideas, albeit in a strategy way.
The third major point is getting them to understand why your are arguing with them.
kid: You know, I’d just as soon walk my date to the movie. The theater is only three miles from her house, and there are sidewalks at least a third of the way. But her dad says no.
father: So you want to borrow my car.
kid: No, I want you to call her father. Tell him I can protect her against gangs of rapists, and I’ll have a cell phone in case she’s hit by a truck.
Decorum is important because it allows a persuader to win an argument by conceding, in an abstract sense, to the audience’s culture, manners, and language. Decorum has a reputation for being old-fashioned and overly fussy. One of the best ways for a speaker to exhibit decorum is to unite the audience against someone else. Good rhetoric is about reaching an agreement between an audience’s desires and one’s own. While audiences are probably well attuned to bragging, they may be more receptive to false modesty. The trick of pretending to choose an inevitable choice is useful because it makes the persuader seem to agree with an option the audience already supports.
The fourth major point is making them listen.
me: She knows she’s not supposed to do that.
Dorothy senior: It’s only a mile, and she has the best sense
of direction in the family. Now, if you were to run ahead, I’d be worried.
me: Very funny. But my pack has her rain gear, and it’s already
starting to drizzle. She’ll just have to stand there freezing
in the parking lot until we come. Serves her right.
Dorothy senior: Not really.
me: Why?
Dorothy senior: She has the car keys.
By feigning reluctance or even pain, a talented persuader can make a more nuanced, effective argument. Jay establishes the importance of ethos in American politics: a good president will go to great lengths to seem like an authority on all moral matters. Pretending to be humble and candid is a powerful rhetorical trick, and it emphasizes the point that rhetoric is an inherently tricky. Rhetoric is everywhere in society whether we like it or not, people need to be aware of rhetoric and learn how to use it to their advantage.
The final and fifth major point is understanding basics of rhetoric and what it can do for you.
Basic
“George!” I yell. “Who used all the toothpaste?”
A sarcastic voice answers from the other side of the door. “That’s not the point, is it,
Dad?” George says. “The point is how we’re going to keep this from happening again.”
He has me. I have told him countless times how the most productive arguments use the future tense, the language of choices and decisions.
“You’re right,” I say. “You win. Now will you please get me some toothpaste?”
“Sure.” George retrieves a tube, happy that he beat his father at an argument.
Or did he? (Pg 3)
What it can do
me: We could still eat Indian, but someplace more upscale.
Dorothy jr.: Sure.
me: So do you know of any?
Dorothy jr.: Oh, London’s full of them.
me: Uh-huh. So do you know of any in particular?
Dorothy jr. [vaguely]: Oh, yeah.
me: Any near here?
Dorothy jr.: Not really.
me: So you’d rather eat at your usual place.
Dorothy jr.: If you want to, sure.
me: I don’t want to!
Importance of arguing and rhetoric in a banal, everyday setting, Jays generalizes to say that rhetoric is an inescapable part of life. Politics and advertising are two of the most important applications of rhetoric that Jays discusses. By studying rhetoric, he further claims, people can improve their lives in countless ways, both by boosting their awareness of other people’s arguments and by improving their own argumentative strategies. Most people think of arguing as a tedious activity in which nothing is ever really accomplished. The prologue ends with another reminder that rhetoric can be fun, useful, and downright sexy. It’s important to distinguish between arguing and fighting arguing is as much about avoiding conflict as it is about facing conflict head-on. Most people would say that an argument consists of step two only getting people to choose something. But in fact, as Jays shows, this is only one third of the overall process of persuasion. One of the reasons that arguments are so often tiresome and repetitive is that most people don’t realize that there’s more to a good argument than just outlining one’s points. It’s important to understand the difference between steps 2 and 3 of a good argument. It’s one thing to convince an audience to agree with a certain choice.