I'm trying really hard not to start off every blog by talking about how much I like this book, but so far it's not working out very well. I really like this book. It's just so useful! I thought reading nonfiction like this would be unbearably boring but I'm enjoying it so much.
In chapter six the author talks more about how to be persuasive with a few specific techniques. He talked about virtue, bragging, flaws, and switching sides. Virtue in a rhetorical context is extremely different from virtue in any other context, and it was interesting to see him explain the changes in its definition. I was able to grasp the concepts that he demonstrated through his examples because they were interesting and relatable.
Also, the way he ties this virtue in with ethos is very effective. Ethos is showing your audience that you share their values so they will see you has virtuous. However, I found a video on youtube that explains logos, ethos, and pathos but the definition of ethos was very different than this one. In the video he states that ethos is making yourself be perceived as an authority and for this reason you will be believed. Yet Heinrichs does not present ethos in this way. Heinrichs present ethos as making yourself familiar to the audience - not in tone but rather in beliefs. If the audience thinks that you have the same objectives as it does then you will be much more convincing. In my opinion, the video is correct in that ethos is about credibility, but I disagree with the point about authority. Intelligent people will not tend to blindly believe authority figures. People must be given a reason to believe someone other than their higher status. Ethos is showing the audience that you are trustworthy and credible because you share their values and you are on their side.
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