So this is my first blog that I've ever really done. I have to do it for English so I thought that I would write about rhetoric since that was the first topic that we've been discussing in class. So...What is rhetoric? To me, this is actually a complicated question because according to the reading we were assigned, rhetoric has SO many definitions! So I thought that I would say what rhetoric means to me instead of going on and on about all of rhetoric's definitions. As I was growing up, the only time I hear the word "rhetoric" was when someone would say, "That was a rhetorical question." As of a couple of months I learned that rhetoric was more than just a "rhetorical question", to me, rhetoric was a type of persuasion. It can be a good type of rhetoric or it can be a bad type of rhetoric. If someone is persuading you to buy drugs from the street and is giving you such a good reason why you should; that is bad rhetoric, but if a doctor is trying to persuade you to have a surgery because you need it; that is a good type of rhetoric.
Up until this English 314 class, I didn't fully understand what rhetoric was and what it really means, so what is your story behind rhetoric and what does it mean to you?
I agree that rhetoric is confusing and difficult to define. I also thought of "rhetorical questions" when I first discovered we were talking about rhetoric. I think rhetoric is one of the tools we will use this semester when creating our directions, pamphlets, and such. We will also have to keep in mind how the audience will respond to our use of rhetoric and whether they think it is justified.
ReplyDeleteHa, that's funny, because the only time I ever used (or really heard) the word "rhetoric" was also used in "rhetorical question" which I actually learned from watching Smart Guy (does anyone remember that show?!). I had heard of the word a little bit in earlier english classes, but we never really talked about it much so I never really gave it another thought. I'm not really sure how rhetoric is tied into directions though, because directions are usually more like "this is just how it goes, no questions asked". But who knows, maybe I'll actually learn something new!
ReplyDeleteI had the same experience with rhetoric. Before this class, I had heard of it, but would not have been able to define it, or even use it in a sentence. I do believe there are positive and negative aspects to rhetoric, but it all depends on the situation. I definitely think that persuasion is rhetoric, but there's more to rhetoric than just persuasion.
ReplyDeleteTiffany...I definitely wanted to say that in class on the day we started talking about Rhetoric, but I didn't want to feel stupid so I kept my mouth shut! :)
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