Rhetoric in letters

Rhetoric is all around us, especially in the letters we receive. I recently received some mail from a local bank trying to entice me to join. They tried to build on their ethos saying things such as: we have been part of the local community for over twenty-five years, we are your friends and neighbors, and we are a stable financial institution that’s backed by the federal government. They also used a fare amount of logos stating different account options and how they would increase your capital. It’s crazy to see how these companies are using rhetoric in their marketing campaign, but what is even more important is being able to detect this rhetoric in your daily life.

Tone

I receive spam email all the time. Usually they try to get you to buy their product or go to their website. The tone in almost all of these emails is urgent. They try to stress the benefits of the product to the reader. They use such words as life changing, wonder drug, sale and value. The tone in these emails is meant to entice and persuade the reader. A particular example would be a letter I received from a Canadian drug company. They use ethos and pathos to entice the reader. They build their credibility by showing doctors in white lab coats and they use an array of other tactics. They use pathos by saying this drug will change your life and showing testimonials from others. The tone is very pushy as well. Overall its very interesting to see the different messages conveyed in the tone.

This weeks blog post.

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The Art of Language

What do Gorge Washington, Adolf Hitler, and Barack Obama have in common? Answer they all use rhetoric. Every day we are bombarded with rhetoric. It’s in the media, it spews from the lips of politicians, the heads of big business use it constantly, our parents use it, we use it and it is a part of our daily life. Rhetoric is a means of persuading an audience by appealing to their ethos (building credibility or moral value), pathos (emotional appeals), and logos (the use of reasoning). This use of language is incredibly powerful. It can instill meaning to the audience and if you can do that the possibilities are endless.

Writing&Me

I incorporate writing in my life in two ways. The first is my professional career and the second is academic writing. One of my job duties is to send emails. I find myself always double checking my work before it’s sent out and also making sure I communicate the correct message. In school I have had to take many different writing classes, but the one I enjoyed the most was creative writing. I learned a lot about my writing style and was really able to expand my depth of knowledge in the area. I am always looking to improve my writing and I enjoy a challenge. I have never taken a technical writing class before so I am hoping to learn a great deal. Writing has always been a challenging subject, but I know that if I put in the time and effort I will be successful. I am looking forward to expanding my horizons, challenging myself, overcoming obstacles, and become a better writer.

My very first blog

I am so happy to be blogging right now. Its always been a dream of mine to blog.