Sasser 1 Stanton Sasser 6 Aug 2021 AP Language and Composition The Influence of Rhetoric I have always thought that rhetoric only consisted of figures of speech and grammar. After reading Thank You for Arguing however, I have come to realize that rhetoric is part of just about everything we do, including using physical gestures, having casual conversations, and doing anything else that has the ability to persuade. So rhetoric is not just limited to writing and reading, but is the art of persuasion, whatever form it may take. This book has also taught me many principles of how rhetoric can benefit society, whether it be in our own lives, or among our nation as a whole. It surprised me to realize just how much rhetoric there is in our lives. The author gives the example of a smoke detector persuading through emotion, and of his cat persuading him using “gesture and tone of voice - potent ingredients of argument” (Heinrichs 7). I have come to know that anything that can persuade is a form of rhetoric, and that it includes a lot of physical movement. In fact, the delivery of a speech is one of the most important parts of persuasion, as it includes using body language and voice control. This is often much more effective than something like email, as it brings in the appeal to emotion and character. According to the author, having a good reputation is one of the greatest ways to persuade. He says, “You cannot be indecorous and persuasive at the same time” (Heinrichs 47), meaning that you need to fit in with your audience in order for them to want to agree with you. In addition to seeing how much rhetoric is used around us, one of the main things that I have learned from this book is that rhetoric is used to encourage discussion, and discourage Sasser 2 fighting. The author says, “You fight to win; you argue to achieve agreement” (Heinrichs 17). Many debates held today focus on demeaning the opponent, and is more focused on attacking than it is on talking. However, when you attack the opponent, no productive action gets done. There have been many times in my own life where I fought just to “score points” (Heinrichs 19), but this just left both sides hurt, with nothing accomplished. Many people will just target each other’s values instead of focusing on what can be done to improve society, which ends up causing hateful and tribalistic feelings towards one another. Using rhetoric for deliberative argument is what is needed to be able to agree with each other, so that you can focus on what to do, instead of just creating tribes. However, like almost everything, there is a way to use rhetoric in a negative way as well. After reading this book, I have noticed that many people will act “disinterested” only to get what they want from you. According to the author, being disinterested is when someone “acts as if his only desire is to make you or your loved ones happy” (Heinrichs 205). However, many people like salesmen will do this to try to make a temporary bond so that they can be trusted. After this, you will be more likely to buy what they have to sell, when normally it wouldn’t make sense. So rhetoric can come in many different ways, and unfortunately, it is often used to manipulate others for one’s own personal gain. So after reading Thank You for Arguing, my eyes were opened to the world of rhetoric around me, that I was clueless to before. We often use rhetoric without knowing, and it takes many different forms that wouldn’t be expected. Whether it be certain gestures, or the way someone talks, rhetoric is anything that can persuade. Perhaps the most important thing about rhetoric however, is that if it is used correctly, fighting is no longer necessary. Many of our conversations today consist of useless fighting, through which it is impossible to get anything Sasser 3 productive done. Rhetoric is not just something that should be used in English classes and among leaders in high positions. Rhetoric is a tool to help everyone get along better, and to spend less time fighting, and more time moving forward.
