Acting As the Victim

            It is not always the best idea to highlight your strengths and brag about them. Especially when you are appealing to your audience to make them do something for you, a different approach may be the most appropriate to persuade them. Pretending to be the victim in the scene is certainly very useful, since you appear to be the one hurt if the counterpart takes the wrong decision. It takes all the eagerness and the anxiousness one has to convey his message and prove his point and turns it into a seemingly disinterested argument. Heinrichs describes this very effectively when he states, “Seem to deal reluctantly with something you are really eager to prove” (p. 73). This makes the audience sympathize with you and probably try to help you in your case. This technique made me reflect upon several experiences in which I have tried by all means to persuade an individual of sharing my position in a certain topic and could not accomplish my task. However, when I was about to quit and began to stop insisting so much, the individual suddenly decided to share my perspective.

            Innocence is crucial for the audience to trust you. I found it very interesting to observe the influence an appearance of innocence has on the audience. I would have expected the audience to be happy with a very knowledgeable person who shows his intelligence right from the beginning of the argument. However appearing as an innocent person who is simply the victim of anxiousness adds credibility and honesty to the argument, which most people value. In addition, Heinrichs depicts a very important technique one should consider: “Make it seem you have no tricks” (p. 75). The audience will start the discussion with a very cautious approach to the ideas one presents. It is the arguer’s objective to make the audience sympathize with him and make them change their approach to a more open and trusting one. Once this has been accomplished, one can begin manipulating pathos, logos, and ethos to persuade them of committing to a certain idea and doing what is desired. Winning their trust first is essential to achieve the final goal.

    

If You Can’t Beat Your Enemy, Join Him

            One of the most important aspects to consider when arguing in making the audience relate to you. One very clever way you can do this is by understanding the concept of virtue and how to effectively use it. When highlighting the virtues you have, it is key that “the audience believes you share their values” (p.56). Virtue can vary a lot depending of the context in which the argument is taking place and who specifically is the audience. In order to be effective in sympathizing with the audience, they need to think you have the appropriate values and then they will begin to accept the proposed idea. I found this very interesting, since I recall that people almost always think that what they think is right, so one of the best ways to make them believe you have the appropriate values is by acting as if you shared common values with them.

                Another point that really shocked me was when Heinrichs discusses the effectiveness of tactical flaws in rhetoric arguing. I thought that explicitly showing your flaws was one of the worst things one could do, since the opponent would immediately start taking advantage of them. However, some tactical flaws are very useful, since they demonstrate that one has been completely dedicated and committed to the audience’s values, which should appear as common values. Another controversial technique Heinrichs mentions is that when the opponent comes with new pieces of good evidence or you feel that the argument is being won by the counterpart, you should change the position for which you stand in a subtle manner. I would argue that some of the greatest leaders and mass manipulators have been successful in achieving their objectives by standing the whole way by their initial values and perspective. But apparently, “those who stick to your former opinion in the face of such overwhelming reasons aren’t, well, reasonable” (p.64). Therefore, making this transition can save you from losing the argument. Although these techniques seem like if you were playing dirty, they are really manipulating the audience to transform your image into what they seek in the person, making you their idol.

Rhetoric: A Presidential Weapon

            President Obama and Governor Romney had their last debate tonight very close to the presidential elections in the United States. Both of them had to take their best arguments and make the people believe in them and give them their vote of confidence for such a crucial position. It is impressive how President Obama used logos to counterattack Governor Romney’s argument about the military budget. He declared that the United States was currently spending more on its military than the next ten countries in the top spending list combined. Therefore, it is not necessary to spend more on the military since it is not asking for more and this would also mean taking away an important amount of the money used for education and other vital services. Romney’s effective use of deliberate arguments is truly impressive. He provided the people of the United States with two choices: either to continue killing terrorists and members of extreme groups who continuously kill Americans or citizens of allied countries, or device an effective plan for the future in which further action is taken and leadership is demonstrated by the United States in order to prevent more damage to be done to the country’s citizens. On this same topic, Governor Romney also uses pathos when he describes why terrorists need to be killed. He reminds the horrible events that have occurred because of extremist actions by these groups and recalls the tragedy of September 11, appealing to the emotions of most Americans who feel that that has been one of the worst calamities that has taken place on their soil.

            Presenting an argument for the topic of education and its urgent need of improvement, Governor Romney does a very effective job in terms of demonstrative rhetoric. This can be seen when he says that the only way for the country to expect future entrepreneurs that take the initiative to create businesses is to have a good education system. He made it clear that he felt one of the most important things in a young child’s life was to receive high quality education and the state which he is governing has been ranked first out of the fifty states in the fourth and eighth grades in math and science. On the other hand, President Obama uses ethos very well, since he positions himself as the current Commander in Chief and makes it clear that he is very knowledgeable in the military area, one of Romney’s most vigorous arguments. This forms a character by which Obama stands by and supposedly will live up to. Also, President Obama makes excellent use of forensic arguing, since he blames Governor Romney several times of having proposed an erroneous point of view or idea. It is impressive to see the way in which it is not only important to have good information and a good argument, but to be able to express it in a way that is effective and that persuades the audience and makes them want to follow ones ideas.   

Persuasion: An Everyday Activity

            We think of persuasion as a very complex quality that only a few select individuals can achieve. In fact, persuasion is used by most people in their everyday lives. Although they do not necessarily notice it, they are using pathos, logos, and ethos to convince another individual. These are the three big modes of rhetoric first introduced by Aristotle. I found it very interesting to observe that logic is not the main path to persuade or win an argument, since people can defend themselves if they really dominate the topic. On the other hand, imposing a dominant image of you (ethos) and presenting yourself with a strong character sets an image that is crucial for arguing. Also, using pathos, or appealing to the emotions of the other part can allow you to make valuable connections that make the other reflect upon the point and eventually change his mind. Heinrichs uses one example throughout most of the chapter which at first seems to be a simple discussion about a simple issue. But that is only what is happening superficially. The way in which the author is able to break up the argument into the different modes of rhetoric amazed me. Even a young child can begin to use advanced persuasive techniques to convince his parents of a certain desire.

                Getting angry is the worst thing one can do in an argument. It is commonly thought that an angry person will dominate the conversation. This might be true in terms of voice loudness and rudeness, but not in the case of persuading. Keeping calm and making your opponent sympathize with you will give you a huge advantage in your argument. Heinrichs depicts a crucial idea when he declares, “Cicero hinted that the great orator transforms himself into an emotional role model, showing the audience how it should feel” (p. 43). One of the most important aspects of arguing is achieving the audience’s sympathy towards you and your idea. If the audience, in some cases only your opponent feels related or begins to acknowledge the idea, then there has been an effective use of pathos. Sometimes, conceding a few points to the counterpart is useful to make them feel comfortable and think that they are doing a good job in getting their point across, which they really are not. I was surprised to realize that the best arguments won are those that do not feel like intense arguments, which can start even with friends. Once the idea of an argument is induced in the opponent’s mind, he will lift up his guard and begin to attack you. Instead of attacking back, one should try to make the other individual accept your idea and not only acknowledge that it is a good one, but be so into it that he has a desire to implement it. This seems like a win-win situation but it is actually a complete win for the rhetorician.

 

  

Stop Fighting! Begin Arguing

           Having just started Reading Thank You for Arguing, Jay Heinrichs proposes a very interesting concept of arguing. At first, the discussion on rhetoric, while at the same time using rhetoric to convey his message, allows the reader to get a feel of the effectiveness of such a powerful tool. The author uses vivid and detailed examples to prove his point. For example, Heinrichs states, “Gottman found that couples who stayed married over those nine years argued about as much as those who ended up in divorce. However, the successful couples went about their arguments in a different way, and with a different purpose” (p. 16). The use of real-life examples helps the reader to visualize how the techniques described work and how they should be implemented. Starting with a love scenario, such as that of married couples, transitions into the next main point: arguing by seducing. These smooth transitions from one concept to the next allow Heinrichs to discuss many topics in the same chapter without being too sharp in the changes. Another very important piece of information that is presented is the way in which people confuse arguing with fighting. In fighting one tries to win over his opponent by all means, even if that means stirring up a sentiment of revenge in the opponent. On the contrary, arguing is a much more clever and effective way to get the other part to agree with a certain point or position. One might have to let the opponent win a few discussions, but in the end, with the adequate use of rhetoric, the winner will win in a convincing way without raising anger in the loosing part.

            It is also crucial to highlight the way in which the author combines certain examples with some of his main ideas. For example, when depicting the three main ways to persuade another individual, he reflects, “…When George Foreman tries to sell you a grill, he makes an argument: persuasion that tries to change your mood, your mind, or your willingness to do something” (p. 17). He even uses daily-life examples to illustrate his point. I found it impressive to observe the way in which the author describes the satisfaction of winning an argument and how one can become the master of persuasion only by correctly using the modes of rhetoric. Also, I find is essential to reflect upon the fact that rhetoric is irrefutable. If the counterpart cannot counter argue your point, then you are slowly beginning to win the argument. The best way to convince someone is by appealing to his emotions, using pathos, which is one of the most vulnerable points in a human being. But, still, one thing is convincing a person, and a completely different one is getting them to act like wanted. For that, you have to induce them into the same desire you have of taking action.

 

 

Not Everything Goes According to Plans

       In the next section of the memoir, the adventure is underway. There is no turning back. The author switches from using exposition at the beginning to using only narration. In this type of adventure memoirs, it would be very monotonous to use exposition since the attractive part is to decipher and take a stance according to a given situation. Guevara continues to use pathos and some ethos as his main rhetoric strategies. He is now trying to portray “Che’s” character as a perseverant youth who will never give up until he reaches North America. I found it very interesting to see how the journey begins by describing boring towns with no real attractions. For example, in describing  San Martín de los Andes, Guevara syas that “the road snakes between the low foothills that sound the beginning of the great cordillera of the Andes, then descends steeply until it reaches an unattractive, miserable town, surrounded by magnificent, densely wooded mountains” (p. 44). Guevara focuses more on the atmosphere and the landscape that he goes through more than the actual cities. Nevertheless, the cities remain the titles of the chapters, which means that they are in a sense important to the description of the journey across Latin America.

         Alberto designed a plan that projected a rapid and easy culmination of the journey in a few days. However, plans did not go as smoothly as they realized it was going to take them much longer than what they expected. This was due to all the obstacles they had to face in their trip. I was impressed by the great problem-solving techniques “Che” had and the efficient ways in which he was able to find good solutions instantly. The way in which Guevara describes this situations in a way presents “Che” as a hero from a very early stage. What is interesting is that he does not do this in the typical way of highlighting his main accomplishments and stating how great he was. Instead, Guevara thoroughly narrates very difficult situations in which the riders are faced with a harsh challenge and very few time for analysis. It comes down to the ability of improvisation. Also, the ability to adapt to completely different environments helps to manipulate pathos in this sense. Guevara declares, “At six in the morning, we started our first job…” (p. 45). This was certainly not what they had expected their trip to be like. It is their perseverance to accomplish their objective what makes them the true heroes and protagonists for the reader.

 

 

Traveling Through Latin America

       Just finishing the introduction, it is very interesting to notice how the author is able to combine narration with exposition. Vitier writes in such a way that he tells what Guevara experiences throughout his trip and at the same time he shows of how he feels it through vivid and clear examples of his journey. For example, in a narrative section, he points out, “Their stares are tame, almost fearful, and completely indifferent to the outside world. Some give the impression they go on living only because it’s a habit they cannot shake” (p. 24). In this case, Vitier provides very descriptive examples that show the reader what Guevara is seeing. This clever combination allows the reader not only to get a precise image of the situation, but also to get the in-depth description of the situation. The introduction is written in a way that the reader can not only understand what the book is going to be about, but get to known how the author is going to describe the story and which modes of rhetoric he will be manipulating. In addition, Vitier uses a lot of citations in which he constantly refers to Guevara’s books. This makes his points much clearer and more credible. It makes it seem as if Guevara was the one expressing himself in third person. This technique attracted me and kept me engaged in the introduction.

        When the adventure actually begins, it is impressive to see how the perspective completely changes. During the introduction, Guevara was presented from a third person point of view, which I thought would make not such a big difference. However, it does. As soon as the memoir begins, a first person narrator comes in and takes charge in telling his own story. This creates a very strong relationship between the audience and the character. Guevara is able to achieve this through the effective manipulation of pathos. Throughout the whole first part of the memoir, Guevara is selecting the details that make the reader realize the great amount of effort and the anxiousness the two travelers experience. The way in which Guevara is able to get the reader to sympathize with “Che” right from the beginning is truly amazing. The main character already has the reputation of a true leader and determined young man even before he actually begins to achieve his famous accomplishments. This is exemplifies when Guevara depicts, “The trip was decided just like that, and it never erred from the basic principle laid down in that moment: improvisation” (p. 32). By manipulating pathos, Guevara is able to appeal to the audience’s emotions and make them encourage “Che” to pursuit his dreams and feel pity when he when describes all the obstacles he has to go through. Will “Che” be able to get to North America? How do the experiences in his youth affect his viewpoints later on?