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Rhetoric is the art of persuasion using language. It is the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times. Rhetoric has three main components. The first component, Logos, deals with rational appeal, facts evidence, history and science. The second component, which is Ethos, deals with ethical appeal, reliability, credibility and experience. The last component, Pathos, deals with emotional appeal, sympathy, empathy, and shared values.
Stephen King uses rhetoric in his essay, Why We Crave Horror Movies, to influence his audience that we all crave horror movies because they are a passage for our aggressive desires. Stephen King has plenty of experience. His books have greatly surpassed 20 million copies. He is very famous for his horror stories and movies. Most of his stories come from his own personal experiences which makes his stories and movies more credible.
He has also written science fiction, fantasy, short-fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, teleplays, and stage plays. His many books include Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Pet Sematary, Misery, Needful Things, and Insomnia. King is a very educated man. He is a graduate of the Univeristy of Maine where he studied English and received a Bachelor’s of Science degree. He also has a certificate to teach high school.
He has held many job positions before becoming a mystery writer including a knitting mill worker, janitor and a high school English teacher. He taught at Hampden Academy. He received The National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. The essay, Why We Crave Horror Movies, was first published in Playboy in 1982. In over twenty years, King has published more than thirty books. His words carry with them the weight of a well respected writer that can only be accomplished through years of powerful writing.