Assignment: Aristotle and the Psychology of Rhetoric

A typical dance number scene from a Bollywood film
What is the psychological profile of a Bollywood fan?

In the second book of Aristotle's Rhetoric, he gets into the psychology of rhetoric by profiling types of emotion and then types of people.  I want my students to do as Aristotle did, to consider the psychology of persuasion by profiling a group of people they know about.

(This is the second in a series of assignments associated with Aristotle's Rhetoric. See the first. This assignment is for Friday, October 3, 2014.)

First, my students are to follow the reading guide below for chapters 1-17 of Book II from Aristotle's Rhetoric. Then, they must write a blog post in which they follow Aristotle's example of briefly profiling a specific group of people with respect to their psychology. Effort should be made not duplicate Aristotle's or other students' psychological profiles, and to avoid overly familiar demographics (like twentysomething college students).

The post should follow this outline:

• Title: "Profile for Persuasion: [name of group you are analyzing]"
• Labels to use: rhetorical psychology, psychological profile
• Picture representing that group (if possible)
• Main characteristics and values: (this may be based in part on general knowledge or stereotypes, but should be based on personal experience, too). A few sentences or a couple short paragraphs.
• Likely / unlikely to persuade
  What will appeal to them because of their characteristics or values? What won't? A couple sentences or a short paragraph.
• Test case: attending a play (I'd like everyone to use this same topic for the group they choose). Another brief paragraph, considering how this group would respond to an invitation to see a play.

Example:

• Profile for Persuasion: Bollywood Fans

  

  Bollywood fans show their enthusiasm before an awards show

• Main characteristics and values.
  Bollywood fans -- people that seek out the musical films made in India -- come from all over the world, not just India. They may not be young, but they tend to relate to youth culture and to the popular music that dominates these films. They are also attracted to the big, glamourous Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Kahn or Bipasha Basu. They are as likely to mock as to enjoy the light, sentimental stories from the films --which are often melodramatic excuses for the famous and spectacular song and dance numbers that make these films so popular. One of the big values of these people that show up in Hindi films is respect for parents. Another is sexual conservativeness. They may enjoy the glamour culture of the Bollywood jet set, but they won't tolerate onscreen kissing, let alone the suggestion or portrayal of premarital sex.
• Likely/ unlikely to persuade
  Bollywood fans are likely to be persuaded to pay attention to anything that is connected to a Bollywood star, or that makes use of or reference to Hindi film music. They are unlikely to be drawn into deep philosophy or serious political issues, since Bollywood is mostly an escape from that. Anything that showed disrespect for parents wouldn't be very persuasive for them.
• Test case: Bollywood fans and attending a play
  Bollywood fans could be convinced to attend a play if it was an adaptation of a Bollywood film, or perhaps simply if it were a musical. One could persuade a Bollywood fan to see a non-musical if it appealed strongly to their sense of family values, or if the play included typical plots like love triangles or cross-generational tensions.

Reading Guide, Aristotle's Rhetoric, Book II, chapters 1-17
Keep the chapter summaries handy for Book II (pp. 123-127)

• Chapter 1 (pp. 189-90). Read closely. How does decorum figure into his discussion of pathos here?
• Chapters 2-11 (pp. 190-214). Skim and sample, choosing one of these chapters to read completely. Can you identify the type of emotion he profiles in each separate chapter, and be able to say more about the one you read thoroughly?
• Chapters 12-14 (pp. 214-218). Read more closely. What are a couple of traits Aristotle associates with youth, old age, and the prime of life?
• Chapters 15-17 (pp. 218-19). Skim and sample. What are the types of people identified in each of these three chapters?