TYFA ApplicationConsidering the impact of different aspects in an argument is the key to effective rhetoric. In the case of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the success of his persuasion depended on his knowledge of his purpose, audience, speaker, and topic. The purpose of his argument was to convince the public, mutineers of the Second Maine Regiment, that extended enlistment was not something to fear since the Civil War was about maintaining their freedom as Americans rather than abolishing slavery. As a speaker, Chamberlain recognized that the subject of the dispute was distribution contracts, so he integrated his own thoughts and feelings, as well as those of the audience, into his rhetoric. These factors led to the success of his rhetoric. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay For all forms of persuasion to be effective, the audience must feel a connection with the speaker. Chamberlain used comfort, or cognitive ease, to mollify his audience. Cognitive ease is an ethics-related tactic that involves consoling the core audience and countering dissatisfaction by keeping things simple, empowering the audience, and putting them in a better mood. Chamberlain adopted a calm, informal tone with the Regiment's designated speaker to establish a feeling of trust. The passage states: "...Chamberlain said in the same light, calm, pleasant manner that he had developed when speaking with particularly unruly students who had come in with a complaint and who had not yet learned that the kind response turns away anger " (page 23). Chamberlain was aware that the mutineers were wary of him, so he managed to redirect their frustration enough to convince them to fight alongside him. In his speech he kept his words simple and honest; Chamberlain sided with the mutineers because he knew that by giving them power, they would be willing to fight. His choice to use comfort as a rhetorical tactic gained enough trust from the men of the regiment for them to listen and relate to his argument. In effective rhetoric, it is important for the speaker to establish a connection between the audience and the goal of the discussion. The overall intention of Chamberlain's speech in The Killer Angels was to evoke patriotism to identify the commonplace between him and the mutineers. A cliché is a shared public opinion that the speaker uses to convince his or her audience that his or her goal is the best option; Patriotism is an ethics tactic, as well as one of the strongest and most persuasive emotions, connecting the speaker's intent to the audience's sense of identity. Chamberlain speaks of the vitality of the Union and its connection to freedom by saying: “This is free ground. From here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow…Here you can be something…It's the idea that we all have value” (p. 30). He connected a commonplace between the regiments by stating, “What we all fight for, in the end, is each other” (30). In summary, he effectively explained that they had the same goal in mind; the preservation of the Union. Once the men recognized this prospect, the majority decided to join Chamberlain and his men. In some forms of persuasion, showing doubt or weakness can decrease the effectiveness of the argument. However, Chamberlain uses rhetorical doubt to his advantage. Dubatio involves projecting uncertainty about how to begin or proceed with a discourse. Lower your expectations.