THE LONG THOUGHT: ABRAHAM ADAMS

This exercise was introduced to me by my mentor and former teacher, Shelley Delaney.

She too likely stole it from someone else. Primarily, it is used for texts that involve the “long thought” or extended, persuasive arguments (think: Shakespeare or the Greeks). OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD has no shortage of long thoughts or persuasive arguments. I have found this exercise useful to determine to what part of the receiver a speaker might be appealing. First, some quick definitions:

LOGOS is the brain center, logic, and reason. Arguments that appeal to this center are rooted in facts and rationality. The speaker is appealing to a place almost (but not entirely) devoid of emotion or feeling. “Just the facts, ma’am”.

PATHOS is centered in the heart, the seat of emotion. Arguments from here appeal to the feelings. The speaker is basing their argument on hopes and dreams or the emotional core of the other.

ETHOS is an appeal to authority or credibility. Arguments that appeal to this center call upon the receiver to judge the merit of the argument based upon their own experiences.

It is important to mention that a gesture should accompany each style of rhetoric. It allows a fuller expression of the text and reminds both the body and the mind of the rhetorical device in use. Typically, LOGOS is a gesture that involves one or both hands placed somewhere on the head and then extended outward away from the body. Like the thoughts are pouring outward from the mind into the space or into the target. The gesture associated with PATHOS is usually one or both hands placed on the chest, atop or near the heart, and then extended outward away from the body, typically toward the receiver. ETHOS is a gesture of extending both hands out from the body and away from one another like scales. The hands are weighing two opposite & opposing things.

When faced with a “long thought” or an extended argument, an actor can use these different types of rhetorical devices with their corresponding gestures to make an argument that is authentic and rooted in the body. I start my work in this way by speaking the monologue or speech using only one of the types of rhetoric listed above. I discover what “feels good” or surprises me with the singular device. Then I move onto the next. Finally, I might work the text in an improvisational style by switching the rhetorical device at key points in the speech to see how effective it might be in persuading the receiver.