Rhetorical Analysis Of Arts Of Teaching

Based on the rhetorical theories, this thesis intends to analyze the characteristics and functions of teachers' language and behaviors in teaching and explore the way to improve teaching effect through the rhetorical skills.In fact, from the perspective of rhetoric, a teacher is a typical rhetor and his student is his audience. Aristotle is one of the early western scholars doing . research on rhetoric. The analysis of teachers' language and behaviors in this thesis refers to his three types of rhetorical proofs: "pathos", "ethos", "logos" and related rhetorical theories. According to Aristotle, these three types of rhetorical proof are necessary for rhetors to successfully persuade their audiences. He said that to be a persuasive rhetor, he must be credible in ethics, considerate in audience's emotion, and be logical in his speech. If a rhetor works all of these things together properly, then the audience is more likely to be persuaded. In fact the behavior in teaching links closely with his rhetorical theories. A great Chinese educator, Confucius (Yang, 1963) has ever said that if the ruler is personally upright, all will do well, even if he does not give orders; but if he is not personally upright, even though he gives orders, no one will obey. To be qualified educators, teachers should have profound knowledge and skillful teaching technique as well as good ethics. This is the only condition to become a selfless teacher who loves his job and is loved by his students. This thesis is doing a research on how teacher' language and behaviors effectively move their students and affect their study habits in their communication through the perspective of rhetoric.Rhetoric is thought to be an art of effective expression. Burke (1954) says that the basic function of rhetoric is the use of words by human agents to form...