With the concept being established by the Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, rhetoric is the art of identifying all of the available means of persuasion in any particular situation. According to Aristotle, there can be three possible settings for rhetoric: forensic speaking (a courtroom setting), epideictic (a ceremonial setting), and deliberative (a political setting). In addition, rhetoric relies on proofs as means of persuasion for their intended audience. There are inartistic proofs, which the speaker doesn’t create, and artistic proofs, which are created by the speaker. The three types of artistic proofs operate by appealing to the audience in different ways. Logos is a logical appeal, ethos is an ethical appeal, and pathos is an emotional appeal.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s iconic I Have a Dream speech is a rhetorical masterpiece, as he uses rhetoric to appeal to his diverse audience on an extremely controversial topic. For instance, towards the end of his speech, King employs pathos as he appeals to the emotions of his audience, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This appeal to emotion (in a sense it is also an appeal to logic) is utilized to inform and persuade his audience during an incredibly important time period in U.S. history.
