One of the more important subjects in this chapter is the the appeal to spite. An appeal to spite is a specific type of appeal to emotion which is predicated upon an emotional response of revenge or "getting even". The textbook notes that the guiding principle of an appeal to spite is "two wrongs make a right." An example of an argument containing an appeal to spite would be:
Dave: "We should go help Tom move today."
Steve: "No we shouldn't. Tom would never help us move, he wouldn't even help us with our new TV last week before the football game."
In this conversation Steve uses an appeal to spite to refute Dave's request, Steve's goal being to convince Dave that he doesn't need to help Tom, because Tom would never help him. This is not necessarily a good appeal technique to use often, but if the person is properly justified in being angry it can be effective.
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