{"id":1223,"date":"2017-10-12T17:11:44","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T17:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jeffersoncc-styleguide\/?post_type=chapter&p=1223"},"modified":"2025-11-21T10:50:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T10:50:32","slug":"know-the-rhetorical-modes-beware-the-nine","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jeffersoncc-styleguide\/chapter\/know-the-rhetorical-modes-beware-the-nine\/","title":{"raw":"Know the Rhetorical Modes: Beware the Nine!","rendered":"Know the Rhetorical Modes: Beware the Nine!"},"content":{"raw":"Yes, I'm a J.R.R. Tolkien fan, so the nine<\/em> here means the Black Riders or else the Nine Walkers bringing the Ring to its destruction. Seriously, though, nine is a significant number in many cultures, and hopefully we can remember the nine modes.\r\n\r\nnarration<\/strong>\r\n\r\ndescription<\/strong>\r\n\r\ndefinition<\/strong>\r\n\r\nillustration<\/strong>\r\n\r\nprocess<\/strong>\r\n\r\n--These are the building blocks, the ones we experience all the time.\u00a0 Your day is a story.\u00a0 Teens are protagonists in a melodrama where \"stuff happens\" to them. Going with these basics, we can move into the other modes that rely upon these foundations.\r\n\r\ncomparison and contrast<\/strong>\r\n\r\ncause and effect<\/strong>\r\n\r\nclassification and division<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThink on this: For 2,500 years, the rich have been studying these, using these to get or keep power.\u00a0 Now we are using them.\u00a0 That's powerful.\u00a0 Stuffy old rhetoric is still valuable, still relevant.\u00a0 The three appeals are Greek (logos, ethos, pathos<\/em>). Each has advantages and disadvantages.\u00a0 Appealing to ethos<\/em> may make one look biased--especially if the audience doesn't share the writer's characters and values.\u00a0 Emotions are strong and immediate, which can backfire--but, then again, so can appearing coldly objective through overuse of logos<\/em>.\r\n\r\nThese last three modes involve two things or groups of things (note the and<\/em>) and are obviously more complex.\u00a0 Cause and effect, I'd argue, is the toughest mode to master.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 That's right!\u00a0 Anytime you ask \"Why?\" or \"What happened because of X?\", you'll be doing cause\/effect.\u00a0 It's arguable.\u00a0 There are direct and indirect causes.\u00a0 There are ultimate causes.\u00a0 Some cultures call their god(s) \"the ultimate cause.\"\u00a0 There are proximate causes, close to us.\u00a0 There are effects with these same names.\u00a0 There are visible and hidden causes and effects.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 It's likely that cause and effect is the toughest mode.\r\n\r\nargument<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSpeaking of logic, the last mode is argument.\u00a0 With this, we deal with appeals (hopefully to logic, but more often in pop culture we get the appeals to emotion or to ethics, which is character and values).\r\n\r\nThere they are: Nine different modes which writers use in concert, often without an awareness that they are switching from one to the other:\r\n\r\n\"\"Lego Nazgul (Ringwraiths)<\/em>, by Adam Purvis\r\n\r\nWhat do you make of this very old system we continue to teach and use?","rendered":"

Yes, I’m a J.R.R. Tolkien fan, so the nine<\/em> here means the Black Riders or else the Nine Walkers bringing the Ring to its destruction. Seriously, though, nine is a significant number in many cultures, and hopefully we can remember the nine modes.<\/p>\n

narration<\/strong><\/p>\n

description<\/strong><\/p>\n

definition<\/strong><\/p>\n

illustration<\/strong><\/p>\n

process<\/strong><\/p>\n

–These are the building blocks, the ones we experience all the time.\u00a0 Your day is a story.\u00a0 Teens are protagonists in a melodrama where “stuff happens” to them. Going with these basics, we can move into the other modes that rely upon these foundations.<\/p>\n

comparison and contrast<\/strong><\/p>\n

cause and effect<\/strong><\/p>\n

classification and division<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think on this: For 2,500 years, the rich have been studying these, using these to get or keep power.\u00a0 Now we are using them.\u00a0 That’s powerful.\u00a0 Stuffy old rhetoric is still valuable, still relevant.\u00a0 The three appeals are Greek (logos, ethos, pathos<\/em>). Each has advantages and disadvantages.\u00a0 Appealing to ethos<\/em> may make one look biased–especially if the audience doesn’t share the writer’s characters and values.\u00a0 Emotions are strong and immediate, which can backfire–but, then again, so can appearing coldly objective through overuse of logos<\/em>.<\/p>\n

These last three modes involve two things or groups of things (note the and<\/em>) and are obviously more complex.\u00a0 Cause and effect, I’d argue, is the toughest mode to master.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 That’s right!\u00a0 Anytime you ask “Why?” or “What happened because of X?”, you’ll be doing cause\/effect.\u00a0 It’s arguable.\u00a0 There are direct and indirect causes.\u00a0 There are ultimate causes.\u00a0 Some cultures call their god(s) “the ultimate cause.”\u00a0 There are proximate causes, close to us.\u00a0 There are effects with these same names.\u00a0 There are visible and hidden causes and effects.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 It’s likely that cause and effect is the toughest mode.<\/p>\n

argument<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of logic, the last mode is argument.\u00a0 With this, we deal with appeals (hopefully to logic, but more often in pop culture we get the appeals to emotion or to ethics, which is character and values).<\/p>\n

There they are: Nine different modes which writers use in concert, often without an awareness that they are switching from one to the other:<\/p>\n

\"\"Lego Nazgul (Ringwraiths)<\/em>, by Adam Purvis<\/p>\n

What do you make of this very old system we continue to teach and use?<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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