Rhetoric…. Before taking this class, I knew I had heard this word before, but I had never cared to know what it meant. When I signed up to take classes this past June, I saw the word “rhetoric” in the name of my English class, but pretty much ignored it. Now, 3 months later, I am being forced to FINALLY find out the definition of this mysterious word. Rhetoric is defined as, “the study of effective speaking and writing. And the art of persuasion. And many other things.” This definition is extremely broad. The fact that the definition is so broad is appropriate for this word. Rhetoric has many branches. It is not just one simple thing, it is very complex and spans across many fields of the English language.
Rhetoric in its simplest meaning means, “to write and speak effectively.” There are many ways to write and speak effectively, but rhetoric has been divided into 5 separate categories which allow for a so-called “template”. These five categories are: invention, arrangement, style, memory and delivery. Invention calls you to find something that you need to say, and find then a creative way to say it. Arrangement allows you to order a paper in a way that is conducive to getting an argument across to a reader. Style is an important part of rhetoric because it allows the reader to get their point across to the reader, but in a way that stays true to the personality of the writer. Memory allows the writer to be able to effectively present a speech to the audience,and truly know the content of the paper. Last but not least, delivery refers to the way that the author presents the argument in their paper. These 5 categories give a writer all the tools to use to construct a strong paper, with a strong argument.
Rhetoric does not just include the 5 categories. To be able to “write and speak effectively, a writer must have the tools not on just on how to construct a paper, but what to include. Rhetoric encompasses persuasive appeal. Persuasive appeal is necessary to connect with the reader and provide a convincing argument. This can be done through logos, pathos, and ethos. These 3 ways to use persuasive appeal ultimately join forces to create a powerful argument that the reader can connect with. It is also vitally important for the writer to use proper grammar in their work. Proper grammar is a basic component of the English language,and a paper without it will not be taken seriously.
This website provided a lot of important information on the idea of rhetoric. Even though the definition of rhetoric is extremely broad, the website helped point out some specific parts of rhetoric which helped form a more narrow definition that is much more understandable. I feel that rhetoric truly does encompass so many tools that are necessary for writing a solid, argumentative paper. Much of this has been included in They Say, I Say. The website provided a different approach to writing a paper with a clear argument. I know that having an understanding of rhetoric will allow me to improve in my writing and being able to present a clear, and persuasive argument.
Burton, Gideon. "The Forest of Rhetoric." Silva Rhetoricae. Brigham Young University, n.d.Web. 04 Sept. 2015. <http://rhetoric.byu.edu>
You stated that there's many writing styles to write and speak effectively. It seems as though this class is following a pattern in learning about constructing arguments through the basis of templates. Do you feel as though the Silva Rhetoricae and Graff's They Say/ I Say could interrupt certain writing styles?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment on how you said that the definition of rhetoric is extremely broad, and how it should be. It seems that rhetoric is just a vast chasm that we must explore to understand. I enjoy your use of the 5 categories in your argument. Do you believe the 5 categories is a good starting base for writing a rhetoric paper?
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and your insight on the definition of rhetoric. I too wrote about how the word rhetoric is incredibly broad and covers so many different topics. While it is difficult to justify the word in one sentence maybe its because you can't. Not every word was meant to be defined so easily and I suppose that this is one of them. Rhetoric speaking and writing truly is an art and learning about it will be useful in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI have to concur with you that the 5 canons of rhetoric are an integral part of the defining the word, rhetoric. I also agree that the 3 persuasive appeals are an important part of defining the word, rhetoric. However, are you trying to say rhetoric is just another tool to be used in English, or it is a bigger entity that is composed of tools?
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your thoughts on the definition of rhetoric. I also found the template to be the most helpful part of the website after reading your post. I like how you addressed that rhetoric is really broad, because thats something were all thinking or at least i am.
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