Definition of Rhetoric

For me, the definition of rhetoric is the study of learning how to speak and write in a manner that is understandable, appropriate, and persuasive. As far as appropriateness of speech, I think the concept of kairos is helpful. When using kairos, a speaker will take into consideration the context in which they are speaking and make their words fit to that time and place. I found the example for kairos on the website very helpful – post-World War I Germany. The people of Germany were downtrodden, and Adolf Hitler’s words were exactly what they needed to hear at that moment; however, in another time in history, perhaps, no one would have believed him or found him appealing at all. I think this applies to our class in the way that we need to discuss topics that are relevant and that people around us will know about. Also, if someone brings up a certain issue, we need to stay on topic and bring up points that will be relevant to that time in the conversation. In They Say, I Say, Graff discusses bringing up a point that someone makes, and then agreeing, disagreeing, or both. I think this is part of the concept of kairos, in that we should be relevant to the context of that time and group. This idea is also intertwined with the idea of the audience, because one needs to write or speak in order to appeal to the people who will hear or read what is being said – hence, the “appropriate” part of my definition of rhetoric.

Secondly, decorum is a very important part of speaking and writing. In order to get people to understand what someone is saying or writing, the correct language needs to be used. The audience also plays into this idea of being understood, as well as kairos. When writing or speaking, one needs to take into consideration when, to whom, and how they are speaking in order to be understood. This is critical for discussions in class, because what is being said needs to be expressed in a way where everyone knows what the point is in order to be a beneficial conversation.

Lastly, persuasion is a big part of rhetoric. The ideas of logos, pathos, and ethos should all be a part of our repertoire for writing and speaking by the end of this class, if not already. We all need to be persuasive in our arguments in blog posts, papers, speeches, and projects if we want to make a point. Being persuasive depends on the audience, the context in which we speak (kairos), and the way we speak (decorum). All of these ideas combine together to form what rhetoric is.

I think this website was very helpful. It helps me understand the relation between all the concepts of rhetoric and what each of those ideas and terms are. One thing that I didn’t quite understand was the “branches of oratory,” because I’m not sure how those will apply to the type of writing and speaking we will be doing in this class. Overall, perusing this website helped me better recognize what rhetoric is and see what we may be doing in this class.

Burton, Gideon O. "The Forest of Rhetoric." Silva Rhetoricae. Brigham Young

University, n.d. Web. 3 Sept. 2015. <http://rhetoric.byu.edu/>.