Political language and ethos, pathos and logos

1. Political Speeches
Analyse how audience and purpose affect the structure and context of
texts

2. Key Ingredients of successful
speeches
Successful speeches need to:
1. Appeal to attitudes and emotions that are already within the listeners.
2. The listeners need to believe that their beliefs are understood and supported.
3. Take standpoints that seem morally correct.
4. The ability to convey that the speaker and listener want the same thing is crucial.
5. Metaphors are crucial for developing understanding around a point and for influencing
emotions regarding that point.
6. Metonymies: An idea or concept replaced by a single word or feature.
7. Analogies
8. Contrastive pairs: making a distinction between two viewpoints or examples.

3. Can we spot the techniques in use?Crossing the decades…
1. Can you spot use of the techniques mentioned on the previous
slide in the speeches from JFKs and Trumps inaugration
speeches?
2. What impact do these speeches have on you as an individual and
your group as a whole?
3. Do the speeches tally with any of your viewpoints: political,
emotional, moral?
4. Apply Ethos, Pathos and Logos to the arguments found in the
speeches.

4. The ways in which
language affirms
identity
 How do you feel language can affirm identify?
 List 5 lables that you would…
- Apply to yourself
- Someone you admire
- Someone you hate/dislike (hate is such a
strong word…)
 What impact does the application of lable have to do
with language?
 What impact does our use of language have on us as
individuals?

5. How could my language shape who I am
culturally and in what ways does it give
my life meaning?
 List as many ways as you can that
indicates that your language could
shape your cultural identity.
 Now list as many ways as you can
that could suggest that it also gives
your life meaning.