This chapter introduces rhetoric and how it came to be. Only recently has rhetoric gained more popularity in the modern world. It is being studied more in classrooms. Teachers have been showing more interest in the topic and have been implanting it more frequently in their own classrooms.

Rhetoric and Persuasion

Rhetoric often known as the “art of persuasion” however, there is more to it than just that. Arguments have been made on whether rhetoric is a tool for arguments or if it brings out manipulation.

Rhetoric has a deep relationship with persuasion that often leads to people questioning it. Many people reject the feeling of being persuaded or manipulated. Some may be able to stand their ground and not fall into the trap, others are not so successful. People typically have a negative reaction towards being manipulated and therefore, they stray away from those that use rhetoric. When rhetoric is being used people are always building their wall up for the fear that they will fall into the trap of being persuaded. Some people that may use rhetoric to persuade or manipulate others are a salesperson, politician, teacher, parents, solicitors, and more.

When entering a relationship someone might use rhetoric to paint a picture that they are a spectacular person and that they are everything someone should want in a partner. It is presenting yourself in a way that the other person would fall madly in love because they believe you are a certain way.

Rhetoric and Symbol Systems

There are different symbols that can be used to represent rhetoric. These symbols are things we can encounter in our day to day lives.

Music

Music is used as a way of adding meaning to the content. Using its harmony, rhythm, and other parts of music it sends a message to the listener. Music in horror films is used to persuade the watcher that an intense moment or jump scare is coming up.

Dance and Acting

Dance uses rhetoric to persuade the audience that the movements are representing happiness, sadness, or any other emotion. It becomes an agreement of everyone involved. The dance tells a story.

Painting

With paintings, the image is symbolic of what it is representing. If the picture is of rainbows and sunshine it represents happiness.

Architecture

Some buildings or infrastructures are representative of important times. For example, the Lincoln Memorial represents and honors Abraham Lincoln. The Freedom Tower represents September 11, 2001. These buildings and infrastructures can bring emotions out from people.

Sports

Athletes sometimes bend rules and try to find loopholes that are sure to work because the other party can be at stake in getting a bad reputation.

Unexpected Locations

Symbols of rhetoric can appear anywhere at any time. Sometimes they might not be as obvious at first glance. They can be in textbooks or other novels. Maybe even the grocery store.

Effective Symbolic Expression

These symbols can be used for different things such as persuasion, clarity, beauty, or as an understanding between people. Rhetoric is seen as an art and these symbols help aid that.

 By using these symbolic expressions we can build on the definition of rhetoric adding that it is a systematic study that uses symbolic expressions effectively. Using this as part of rhetoric will make the act more effective and will reel more people into the story.

    Someone that uses rhetoric is referred to as being a rhetor. For almost as long as it has been around, the art of rhetoric has been used in the means of persuasion.

Rhetorical Discourse

There are six characteristics of rhetorical discourse. The characteristics of rhetoric are: planned, adapted to an audience, shaped by human motives, responsive to a situation, persuasion-seeking, and concerned with contingent issues. Not all of the conversations using rhetoric might hit these points but it is a starting point.

Rhetoric Is Planned

Rhetorical discourse will always need a plan and prior thinking before jumping into the conversation no matter what the goal of it is. This characteristic is known as rhetorics defining components.

Rhetoric Is Adapted to an Audience

In the planning process, the idea of what audience the situation is being presented to is also taken into account. This audience is typically not large but rather small such as, hanging out with friends or co-workers. The rhetor has to imagine who their audience is and what method and side of the situation might they be more geared towards.

Rhetoric Reveals Human Motives

More on the audience, the rhetor presents to them what their motives are. These motives are aligned with what the audience might believe in order to best persuade them.

Rhetoric Is Responsive

This component is the response to either the content or to another rhetorical statement. Any stemement or piece of content given is an open invitation for others to respond.

Rhetoric Seeks Persuasion

Persuasion is always the head of the purpose of rhetoric. Rhetorical discourse chases the idea of getting an audience to agree with the rhetor and their beliefs.

Rhetoric Addresses Contingent Issues

Rhetoric is sometimes used in order to address more political issues.

Social Functions of The Art of Rhetoric

A way that rhetoric is misused is when it is being used with the idea of deception in mind. There are six social functions of rhetoric including, ideas are tested, advocacy is assisted, power is distributed, facts are discovered, knowledge is shaped, and communities are built.

Rhetoric Tests Ideas

This is known as one of rhetoric’s most important functions. This component allows for the idea to be tested on its merit. Testing ideas comes from seeing how your audience responds to the ideas being presented to them.

Rhetoric Assists Advocacy

This section involves the rhetor advocating for what they believe in. When advocating for our ideas we need to prove to the audience why we are right and why they should believe us.

Rhetoric Distributes Power

Rhetoric distributes power in society in the sense of who is allowed to talk, what topics are able to be mentioned, where speech is able to be conducted, what language is allowed to be used, and what media or other outlets are able to be used.

Rhetoric Discovers Facts

By discovering facts in our rhetorical journey we are also able to get a better sense of what we are presenting and finding the evidence to support it. This allows us to put all the pieces of information together and ideas together to create a solid argument.

Rhetoric Shapes Knowledge

Going back to collecting facts, this also gives us more knowledge on the topics and makes us true experts that can truly present the matter clearly.

Rhetoric Builds Community

While using rhetoric to present different ideas we might find people that hold those same values and opinions or, our rhetoric  is successful and we persuade more people which in turn creates a community of people that hold the same standards and beliefs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this chapter focuses on rhetoric overall, rhetorical discourse, symbolic expression, and the social functions.