This comic is a good example of a syllogism. I have broken it down into the premises and conclusion below. It is a humorous example of how people except a conclusion based off of two related premises.
The minor premise: My birthday is next week.
The major premise: My birthday is the day before Max's birthday.
Conclusion: Max's birthday is coming up soon.
Another example of Aristotle's teachings I found relates to his idea of fear. He explains how to effectively use fear in persuading an audience by saying, "When it is advisable that the audience should be frightened, the orator must make them feel that they really are in danger of something, pointing out that it has happened to others who were stronger than they are, and is happening, or has happened, to people like themselves, at the hands of unexpected people, in an unexpected form, and at an unexpected time" (pg. 106).
The recent news story of Ariel Castro holding women captive for years in his basement is an example of how fear is being used to persuade the public. There are numerous articles and interviews from the women he held captive all of which use fear to persuade their audience to be aware of the possible dangers around them. None of these women expected their abduction and through their public accounts of their terrifying personal experiences they are sending a very clear message that all women should be careful around strangers and be aware of the surroundings they put themselves in.
Here is a quote from Michelle Knight, the victim who was kidnapped and held captive by Ariel Castro longest. I think this is a rhetorically powerful example of using fear to convey a message to your audience.
"To Judge Russo:
I would like to tell you what 11 years of my life was like:
I missed my son every day.
I wondered if I was ever going to see my son again--he was only 2 1/2 when I was taken.
I would look inside my heart and see my son.
I cried every night. I felt so alone.
I worried about what might happen to the other girls and me every day.
The days never got shorter.
The nights turned into days.
The days turned into years.
The years turned into eternity.
I knew nobody cared about me.
He told me my family didn't care about me. He tormented me constantly, especially on holidays.
Christmas was the most traumatic day because I didn't get to spend it with my son.
No one should ever have to experience what we went through. Not even an enemy!
Gina and I were a team. I never let her fall and she never let me fall. She nursed me back to health when I was dying from his abuse. My friendship with Gina is the only good thing to come from this situation.
We said we'll all get out alive some day and we did!"
I would like to tell you what 11 years of my life was like:
I missed my son every day.
I wondered if I was ever going to see my son again--he was only 2 1/2 when I was taken.
I would look inside my heart and see my son.
I cried every night. I felt so alone.
I worried about what might happen to the other girls and me every day.
The days never got shorter.
The nights turned into days.
The days turned into years.
The years turned into eternity.
I knew nobody cared about me.
He told me my family didn't care about me. He tormented me constantly, especially on holidays.
Christmas was the most traumatic day because I didn't get to spend it with my son.
No one should ever have to experience what we went through. Not even an enemy!
Gina and I were a team. I never let her fall and she never let me fall. She nursed me back to health when I was dying from his abuse. My friendship with Gina is the only good thing to come from this situation.
We said we'll all get out alive some day and we did!"
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/statements-behalf-amanda-berry-gina-184800732.html
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