21 Introduction to Unit 3: Rhetoric
What is Rhetoric?
Melanie Gagich
The definition of rhetoric commonly used is “the art of persuasion.” Rhetoric is everywhere and can involve any kind of text, including speech, written word, images, movies, documentaries, the news, etc. So it is important to understand how to navigate the murky waters of persuasion and rhetoric.
The OWL of Purdue section “A Review of Rhetoric: From ‘Persuasion’ to ‘Identification” clearly describes some of the intricacies of rhetoric in the following passage:
[…] Aristotle defined rhetoric as “an ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion” (Aristotle Rhetoric I.1.2, Kennedy 37). Since then, Aristotle’s definition of rhetoric has been reduced in many situations to mean simply “persuasion.” At its best, this simplification of rhetoric has led to a long tradition of people associating rhetoric with politicians, lawyers, or other occupations noted for persuasive speaking. At its worst, the simplification of rhetoric has led people to assume that rhetoric is merely something that manipulative people use to get what they want (usually regardless of moral or ethical concerns).
However, over the last century or so, the academic definition and use of “rhetoric” has evolved to include any situation in which people consciously communicate with each other. In brief, individual people tend to perceive and understand just about everything differently from one another (this difference varies to a lesser or greater degree depending on the situation, of course). This expanded perception has led a number of more contemporary rhetorical philosophers to suggest that rhetoric deals with more than just persuasion. Instead of just persuasion, rhetoric is the set of methods people use to identify with each other—to encourage each other to understand things from one another’s perspectives (see Burke 25). From interpersonal relationships to international peace treaties, the capacity to understand or modify another’s perspective is one of the most vital abilities that humans have. Hence, understanding rhetoric in terms of “identification” helps us better communicate and evaluate all such situations.
Be Proactive
Explore How You Use Rhetoric and How Rhetoric is Used to Communicate and Influence You.
- Look back at some of your previous text messages, online posts/responses, and emails.
- Make a list or write a paragraph, but document how you use rhetoric in those different situations to communicate or influence your audience (think about tone, word choice, images, and message).
- Take a quick walk around campus. There are posters, flyers, and promotional material everywhere.
- Take a picture of one you think is very effective and one you think isn’t.
- Who do you think their audience is?
- Why do you think they are effective or ineffective, and what devices did they use to influence their audience? Think about word choice, color, images, font, etc. (Logos, Ethos, and Pathos if you feel ready for that).
- Take a picture of one you think is very effective and one you think isn’t.
1st Edition: A Guide to Rhetoric, Genre, and Success in First-Year Writing (No Longer Updated) by Melanie Gagich is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
