Application Of Rhetorical Appeals In Premier Wen Jiabao's Remarks At Press Conferences

Based on Aristotle's theory of three appeals, this thesis chooses the Premier Wen Jiabao's remarks at Press Conferences from 2007 to 2010 as research subject. The thesis aims to investigate rhetorical strategies applied by Premier Wen, as well as to reveal some principles about how to use language effectively in daily life to readers.The author conducts quantitative and qualitative analysis of these remarks-all together more than 700 sentences at 4 Premier Press Conferences. It is found that three rhetorical means of ethos, logos and pathos are employed effectively by Premier Wen in the process of persuading the journalists and the outside world. The findings of the analysis are:1. In order to convince others successfully, one must first appeal to ethos-establish a high ethos which includes "good sense, good moral character, and good will."; 2. Logos can make remarks difficult be argued against because they are taken to be logical. Thus the remarks are more reliable and acceptable; 3. Pathos appeals to the audience's emotions. It can help the speaker achieve the persuasive goal by touching the audience's heart and making the remarks impressive; 4. Although most of the time three appeals collaborate together in persuasive discourse, in the practical application of Premier Wen's remarks, logos and pathos are used quite often that they permeate the use of pathos. That is because choosing of the means is determined by the particular situation and particular goal. We cannot simply say one is better than the other two.