Science of Persuation

The purpose of this blog is to inform readers of different styles of writing and other knowledge gained in my Contemporary Communications class. Enjoy!

Rhetoric: The art of using language persuasively.

Exigency: what you want to accomplish with your persuasion.

Logos: Logic; relies on statistics, facts, evidence, situations.

Pathos: Emotions; relies on personal anecdotes, emotional accounts.

Ethos: Character; relies on ethics, morals, image, etiquette.

Science of Persuasion:

Reciprocity: they give you something, you give something back. An example of this in Devil in the White City is when Burnham and Holmes make guarantees and promises to the people they work around in order to get what they want.


Scarcity: people want more of what there is less of. Burnham, in Devil in the White City, uses scarcity in to his advantage to create more of a drive to workers to finish the fair building on time.


Authority: people follow the lead of credible people. In the novel, men and women who entered H.H. Holmes pharmacy had trust in him considering his status, when the reader knows his true being—which in fact, is not to be trusted at all.


Consistency: looking for commitments that can be made. In the novel, Burnham appeals to his workers to gain commitments by telling them how amazing and known the fair will be when finished.


Liking: similar people, compliments, mutual ideas. In the novel, H.H. Holmes creates a liking for himself by charming and persuading people. Many women are allured by him and like him due to his rhetoric.


Consensus: people look to the actions of others to decide their own. In the novel, “Every Chicago resident who could read devoured these reports from abroad”; these reports being the ones that described the stunning nature of the fair. (pg. 70)




Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City. New York: Crown, 2003. Print