Aristotelian Triangle and persuasive appeals

EXCERPT: The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively is called rhetoric. The ancient Greeks and Romans considered effective persuasion an art, and it was a main focus in their education. Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, observed and studied the art of persuasion and established some basic criteria for an effective, persuasive message. Aristotle suggested that there are three major elements a person must consider to compose an effective persuasive message. These three components have come to be called the Aristotelian triad (or triangle).

The triangle consists of the subject of the message, the audience to whom the message is being given, and the speaker (or writer) of the message.