Appeal to Ethics
Definition:
A rhetorical strategy based
on making the morally correct decision.
Examples:
“Ask not what your country can do
for you; ask what you can do for your country.” — John
Fitzgerald Kennedy
“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.” – Martin
Luther King Jr.
“So, after Sept. 30, you won't need
the U.N. You will simply need men with shovels and bleached
white linen and headstones.
In many ways, it's unfair, but it is, nevertheless, true
that this genocide will be on your watch. How you deal
with it will be your legacy, your Rwanda, your Cambodia,
your
Auschwitz.” — George Clooney to the United
Nations regarding Darfur
“The way ahead is not easy. We shall
need all the wisdom, imagination, and courage we can muster.
We must and shall
guarantee the civil rights of all our citizens.” – Harry
Truman addressing the NAACP
-
If you were writing a letter
encouraging your peers not to drink or use drugs, would
appeal to ethics work? What
type
of arguments would you cite?
-
Does appeal to ethics work
better with younger or older people? Explain your answer.
-
You’ll
notice the above examples are from speeches. Why aren’t
there four examples from commercials selling products?
-
Cite
two appeal to ethics arguments that a parent might use
on his or her child.
-
Is the moral quality of the speaker
important in one of these arguments or are the words
enough by themselves?
Does it
matter that George Clooney in the example above is an
actor?
Download
a PDF file of the student handout, Appeal to Ethics. |
