Rhetoric pt. 2

Rhetoric is the study of effective argumentation. More specifically this takes the form of the study of effective speaking and writing, but both of these individual pursuits fall under the general umbrella of rhetoric. All of the things we have done in this class cover different methods and aspects of creating arguments that are as convincing as possible. There are of course many intricacies to speaking and writing eloquently, but all rhetorical study is done with the end goal of convincing someone of something. One of the primary points of rhetoric is that in order to do this, one must consider both the content of an argument and how it is presented. The content aspect of this process is of course constructing a sound argument by building around evidence and research. Referring to research and data lends authority to an argument that is otherwise impossible to achieve. In order to do this, it is also important to practice how to weave together data and evidence into a narrative that represents reality and can be easily understood. Another one of the most important things we have learned in this class is how to consider audience when making an argument. Another important part of effectively convincing people related to the way arguments are made is knowing who you are trying to convince because difference audiences will be more or less swayed by different strategies. Different audiences may require different styles of writing that are more or less formal and choose their words carefully to consider the reactions that are likely to receive. One of the ways we have practiced this in class is through rhetorical analyses of different works which examine the specific moves authors make in order to appeal to different audiences. Another important aspect of rhetoric is anticipating objections. Arguments appear much more professional and well-developed when they introduce possible flaws to their logic and address them. This also has the effect of avoiding criticism of an argument by dealing with its counter-arguments before anyone else has a chance to make them.  Another important thing we have addressed in regards to rhetoric is that every argument can be thought of as a response to some other argument. This means that when creating a rhetorical work one must first consider what the other works on the same subject say about it in order to know what topics need to be addressed and what criticisms others might have. This also creates the opportunity to include partial concessions or agreements in an argument that make it more appealing to those being argued against. This is something we practiced through fight clubs. Having to directly debate develops the skill of framing arguments as a response to others. There are plenty more techniques of rhetoric that could be discussed in addition to the ones covered here, but these are some of the most important ones. The important thing about these strategies is that they all link directly back to the primary goal of rhetoric of convincing others.