(1) RHETORICAL STRATEGIES:

"He who does not study rhetoric will be a victim of it."

(graffito found on a wall in Greece from the 6th century BC)

• RHETORIC:
  • Aristotle defined rhetoric (in his famous book, Rhetoric) as the art, faculty, or "ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion" (Bk. I, Ch.2, emphasis mine).
  • The failure to understand how others utilize rhetoric or the inability to use rhetoric properly in our own work often leads to the victimization the above graffitist refers to: 
    • We cannot defend against their claims or
    • We cannot effectively support our own.
• RHETORICAL STRATEGIES:
  • For us, then, Rhetorical Strategies are the "means" Aristotle speaks of, the methods for "finding all the available arguments" (Bk. I, Ch.2) on a particular issue,
    • those methods that allow us to convey most convincingly our point on a given topic.
  • In other words, Rhetorical Strategies assist us writers in organizing our compositions for the best effect as we attempt
    • to describe, to relate a story, to illustrate a point
    • to divide or classify, to analyze a process,
    • to compare or contrast, or to define  
  • Thus, in short, Rhetorical Strategies are ways of effectively, efficiently, and coherently presenting our material on a subject
    • in essay writing
    • in speech writing
  • Gaining familiarity and skill with these Rhetorical Strategies will help us
    • not only
    • present our arguments in the most convincing and explicit way
    • but also
    • understand another's argument
    • critique another's argument
• AKA (Also Known As):
  • rhetorical strategies
  • rhetorical modes
  • rhetorical methods
  • rhetorical devices
  • modes of discourse

(2) THE RHETORICAL STRATEGIES:

• Below are some of the more common Rhetorical Strategies, but there are others - many others. 
  • A few not included in the following list are Analogy, Argument, Persuasion, and Cause-and-Effect.

• DESCRIPTION -
  • Utilize sense details and figurative language
  • to support a dominant impression concerning an object or person.
• NARRATION -
  • Relate a story in chronological order
  • to support a moral.
• ILLUSTRATION -
  • Illustrate a thesis of your own opinion
  • with three specific examples taken from a broad base of support.
• PROCESS -
  • Explain the process one might go through to achieve a desired result.
  • Write in sentence and paragraph format.
  • No lists! No "recipe cards."
• DIVISION-CLASSIFICATION -
  • Break down a broad category into at least three sub-divisions and give the general characteristics and one specific example of each.
  • Categorize elements from a large group into at least three types and give the general characteristics and one specific example of each.
• COMPARISON and CONTRAST -
  • Show the similarities and differences between two subjects
  • often with the purpose of demonstrating a superiority or preference.
• DEFINITION -
  • Explain the meaning of a term as you understand it.
  • Discuss at least three of its fundamental characteristics and support each with examples.
  • Utilize the other rhetorical strategies to support your thesis-definition.

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