WHAT IS RHETORIC?
(AND WHY SHOULD WE CARE?)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
“Rhetoric, was, first and foremost, the art of persuasive
speaking.”
Bizzell and Herzberg (1-2)
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
“Rhetoric is rooted in an essential function of language itself,
function that is wholly realistic and continually born anew: the
use of language as a symbolic means of inducing cooperation in
beings that by nature respond to symbols.”
Kenneth Burke
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
Rhetoric is a primarily verbal, situationally contingent, epistemic
art that is both philosophical and practical and gives rise to
potentially active texts.
William Covino and David Jolliffe,
“What is Rhetoric?” (5)
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
“A rhetoric is a social invention. It arises out of a time and place,
a peculiar social context, establishing for a period the conditions
that make a peculiar kind of communication possible.”
James Berlin,
Writing Instruction in Nineteenth-Century America 1
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
“Rhetoric selects, from the vast realm of human discourse,
occasions for speaking and writing that can be regarded as
persuasive in intent.”
Bizzell and Herzberg (2)
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
Every rhetoric. . . has at its base a conception of reality, of
human nature, and of language. In other terms, it is. . .a closed
system defining what can, and cannot, be known; the nature of
the knower; the nature of the relationship between the knower,
the known, and the audience; and the nature of language.
James Berlin (Writing 2)
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
“Rhetoric is the study of misunderstandings and their remedies.”
I.A. Richards
The Philosophy of Rhetoric
AGENDA
The Big Four
AGENDA
The Big Four
Key Concepts
AGENDA
The Big Four
Key Concepts
Activity #1
AGENDA
The Big Four
Key Concepts
Activity #1
Readings
AGENDA
The Big Four
Key Concepts
Activity #1
Readings
Activity #2
THE BIG FOUR
In this class, we’ll be
exploring many different
theories of rhetoric in
many different time
periods; however, there
are four key questions I’d
like to ask of each
primary text we
encounter.
THE BIG FOUR
I call these “The Big
Four.”
THE BIG FOUR
#1: How does this
theorist/thinker define
“rhetoric”?
THE BIG FOUR
#2: What are the
consequences of this
definition?
THE BIG FOUR
#2: Specifically, what are
the consequences of this
definition for:
a) Creators of Texts
(rhetors)
b) “Readers” of Texts
(audiences)
c) Locations of Texts
(situations)
THE BIG FOUR
#3: What is the
relationship between
language and
knowledge
(epistemology) in this
definition?
THE BIG FOUR
#4: How might this
definition be applied
(or not) to
contemporary texts?
THE BIG FOUR
You’ll need to get familiar with The Big Four.
Every time we encounter a new primary text, you
should all be prepared to answer these four
questions.
KEY CONCEPTS
The value in
understanding rhetoric is
to develop an awareness
of the theory behind the
production of effective,
rhetorically-aware texts.
We do this in order for us
to become even more selfaware and reflexive
producers ourselves.
KEY CONCEPTS
The best way to begin to
understand these rhetorical
theories is by defining and
becoming familiar with
those rhetorical principles
and key terms, and
observing how they work
in practice.
ACTIVITY #1
I’ll assign you all into
groups of three or
four. Each group will
receive a key concept.
Each group will
accomplish three tasks:
ACTIVITY #1
1) Find the concept in
our readings and write
a working definition in
your own words;
ACTIVITY #1
1) Find the concept in
our readings and write
a working definition in
your own words;
2) Connect the concept
to a modern text;
ACTIVITY #1
1) Find the concept in
our readings and write
a working definition in
your own words;
2) Connect the concept
to a modern text;
3) Draw an image to
help remember the
concept.
READINGS
Chapter 1: “An
Introduction to
Rhetoric”
What is Rhetoric?
“A Few Definitions of
Rhetoric” website
READINGS
Before we begin any discussion about any readings, we’ll take a couple moments to
gather your thoughts about what you’ve read. This will help guide and fuel our
discussions.
Take a few minutes to write about your readings, you can write about:
*Your own experience reading the text (positive or negative or both);
*Something about the texts that was unclear, confusing or dense that you’d like to
crowdsource to clarify;
*Something about the texts that you thought was interesting;
*Any other questions about the reading that you’d like to share with the class;
Then we’ll all share and discuss what you’ve written.
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
Smith’s definition of rhetoric:
“Rhetoric is persuasive” (1).
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
Smith’s definition of rhetoric:
“Rhetoric is persuasive” (1).
“Rhetoric operates to influence
behavior, change attitudes, and
articulate opinions” (1).
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
For Smith, rhetoric is one of three
major types of communication:
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
For Smith, rhetoric is one of three
major types of communication:
1) Informative Communication that
“adds to our knowledge”(1);
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
For Smith, rhetoric is one of three
major types of communication:
1) Informative Communication that
“adds to our knowledge”(1);
2) Entertaining Communication that
“holds our attention and fascinates
our minds” (1);
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
For Smith, rhetoric is one of three
major types of communication:
1) Informative Communication that
“adds to our knowledge”(1);
2) Entertaining Communication that
“holds our attention and fascinates
our minds” (1);
3)Rhetorical Communication that
“goes beyond both by attempting to
persuade ourselves and others to
change actions, beliefs, attitudes,
and/or opinions”(1).
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
What Rhetoric “does”:
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
What Rhetoric “does”:
1) Since it is “intrapersonal”, rhetoric
helps us understand what we
experience because we must
convince ourselves that our
experiences are true” (2)
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
What Rhetoric “does”:
1) Since it is “intrapersonal”, rhetoric
helps us understand what we
experience because we must
convince ourselves that our
experiences are true” (2)
2) Since it is intrapersonal, it is often
“converted to interpersonal
persuasion”, since “the way we
persuade ourselves is the way we
persuade others”(2).
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
What Rhetoric “does”:
3) It is epistemic—it works as “a way
to come to know things that cannot
be known through other types of
discourse whether they be
informative or entertaining” (2); it
has a “making-known” function;
4)It is epistemic—it “overcomes the
limitations of other forms of
discourse”
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
What Rhetoric “does”:
5) It “recognizes that word choice
and the building of images play an
important role in gaining adherence
to an idea, a policy or personal
commitment” [aka ‘style’](3); it also
emphasizes how delivery of
messages can influence their
reception
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
So what’s so great
about rhetoric?
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
So what’s so great
about rhetoric?
For Smith, rhetoric is
important because our
world involves some
very important
phenomena:
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
1) The majority of
decisions people make
are “based on probable,
not certain, truths” (4)
2)As human beings,
“we are decisionmaking creatures
capable of overruling
our own instincts”(4).
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
3)The human mind
does not usually
tolerate the
unexplained, thus
rhetoric serves to
rationally order the
disordered universe (4).
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
3)The human mind
does not usually
tolerate the
unexplained, thus
rhetoric serves to
rationally order the
disordered universe (4).
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
“. . .in times when
probability is emphasized,
rhetoric flourishes; in
times when truth is
“known,” rhetoric is
marginalized. . .where
humans have more ability
to speak freely, rhetorical
theory flourishes. . .” (5)
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
A Situational Metatheory
Smith discusses the theory
of Lloyd Bitzer that
emphasized rhetoric as
situational. Bitzer’s theory
is comprised of three
parts:
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
A Situational Metatheory
1) Exigence
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
A Situational Metatheory
1) Exigence
2) Constraints
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
A Situational Metatheory
1) Exigence
2) Constraints
3)Audience
CHAPTER 1: “AN INTRODUCTION
TO RHETORIC”
A Situational Metatheory
Smith provides us with an
example in the text, but
let’s get some practice
analyzing texts using this
“situational metatheory”…
ACTIVITY #2: RHETORICAL
SITUATION SCAVENGER HUNT
Each group will explore in and around Williams Building, seeking out four
kinds of “texts”:
ACTIVITY #2: RHETORICAL
SITUATION SCAVENGER HUNT
Each group will explore in and around Williams Building, seeking out four
kinds of “texts”:
1) One with written words
2) One with spoken words
3) One with images
4) One architectural
ACTIVITY #2: RHETORICAL
SITUATION SCAVENGER HUNT
Each group will explore in and around Williams Building, seeking out four
kinds of “texts”:
1) One with written words
2) One with spoken words
3) One with images
4) One architectural
For each of these texts, each group will consider the exigence for the text, the
intended and/or unintended audiences for the text, and any constraints you
see for the text. We’ll all return and report on our findings.
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
(AND WHY SHOULD WE CARE?)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012