Writing assistance
"No sooner do we come into this world than bits of us start to drop off." -- Gustave Flaubert
Traditional pro and con model of argument |
Rogerian argument |
|
Basic strategy |
Writer states the claim and gives reasons to prove it. Writer refutes the opponent by showing what is wrong or invalid. | Writer states the opponents' claim and points out what is sound about the reasons used to prove it. |
Ethos |
Writer builds own character (ethos) by citing past experience and expertise. | Writer builds opponents' character perhaps at expense of his or her own. |
Logos |
Writer uses logic (all the proofs) as tools for presenting a case and refuting the opponent's case. | Writer proceeds in an explanatory fashion to analyze the conditions under which the position of either side is valid. |
Pathos |
Writer uses emotional language to strengthen the claim. | Writer uses descriptive, dispassionate language to cool emotions on both sides. |
Goal |
Writer tries to change opponent's mind and thereby win the argument. | Writer creates cooperation, the possibility that both sides might change, and a mutually advantageous outcome. |
***This chart is taken directly from Nancy Woods' Perspectives on Argument