Dr. Gideon Burton, the author of the website, makes an argument that rhetoric is sometimes misunderstood in our society. Dr. Burton explains that we get lost in the details (the trees) and cannot see the bigger picture (the forest). The site is laid out very well. The left hand side offers an overview of rhetoric and the major components or ideas. The left hand side offers detailed definitions and explanations about specific terms. I find this layout to very useful. I started exploring the site on the left hand side. The definition of rhetoric and the explanation of content and form. According to the author, “rhetoric is the study of effective speaking and writing”. “And the art of persuasion.” It is really interesting to see that the study of rhetoric has a long history for teaching students like us how to prepare a paper or speech that is effective in convincing the audience. It’s also interesting that sometimes rhetoric is considered negative. It is seen by some people as only concerned with how something is said instead of what is being said. The author even states that Plato considered rhetoric to be superficial and sometimes deceptive. Dr. Burton agrees that rhetoric has not always been perfect, but he believes it’s an important art that puts importance on both what is being said and how it’s being said. In the website, what is being said is called content and how is being said is called from.
I found the section of the website on encompassing terms interesting. Dr. Burton writes, “among so many terms in rhetoric, three serve as the compass: kairos, audience, and decorum. I find the example of kairos very helpful, because I can relate to the kairos experience. The website tells us that communication on kairos is very particular because you need to keep in mind the time and place and your wording is really important. In my opinion, this is true because the experiences on kairos are normally very close and sensitive. In order to ensure everyone is comfortable while sharing their stories, the timing and context should be appropriate.
On the topic of audience, Dr. Burton provides good examples on how to use rhetoric to reach an audience. When communicating, the audience is obviously very important aspect. It’s critical to take into consideration who your audience is and how they will understand or interpret the information you are giving them. For example, if I was trying to reach college students, I may to relate to them by using social media and other aspects of their lives that keep their interest.
The last encompassing terms is decorum. The author writes that decorum is “a central rhetorical principle requiring one’s words and subject matter to aptly fit to each other, to the circumstances and occasion (Kairos), the audience, and the speaker.” This definition seems clear, but I thought the author did not provide good examples to further demonstrate this term. It seems like the most important term, but I found it more difficult to understand.
Honestly, before I read this website, I had no idea the difference between rhetorical and rhetoric. I find it very interesting that the root words are very similar but have completely different meanings. I assumed rhetoric had a similar meaning to rhetorical, which is asking a question without wanting or needing an answer.
I enjoyed using the website. Understanding the major terms of rhetoric (Kairos, audience, and decorum) gives me a good guide for thinking about my writing. I also think it’s really useful to understand how some people think of rhetoric as negative. As a writer, it forces me to give equal importance to what I’m saying and how I’m saying it.
Burton, Gideon O. "The Forest of Rhetoric." Silva Rhetoricae. Brigham Young University, n.d. Web. 3 Sept. 2015. <http://rhetoric.byu.edu/>
I agree that many people think of rhetoric as negative or deceptive. People need to use rhetoric to emphasize what they say instead of how they say it. I also thought rhetoric and rhetorical were the same thing before this assignment.
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