Amy Spangler Gerald

Chances are, when you hear the word "rhetoric" you think, "Right-wing rhetoric" or "Liberal rhetoric," terms you've heard to describe politics in the news. In fact, politicians often accuse their opponents of using rhetoric, or words, rather than taking action.   In the context of American politics, the word "rhetoric" has negative connotations, but rhetoric is actually much more than something politicians use to get elected. For many, rhetoric is the art of persuasion, and understanding how to persuade can be a valuable and positive writing tool.

The study of rhetoric began in classical Greece with Aristotle and others who taught young orators how to compose and deliver effec­tive, persuasive speeches in court and during other public gatherings. Aristotle gave us what is called the rhetorical triangle. The rhetorical triangle offers a visual aid for understanding how the concerns of the writer, the audience, and the subject are interrelated. For instance, when the writer becomes aware of the make up of her audience, she adjusts her message so the audience can be persuaded most effectively. An active awareness of these connections leads both to better speaking and to better writing. Today, rhetoric means more than just persuasion and has come to incorporate general ideas about communication and collaborative thinking.

Rhetoric is the conscious and effective use of language to communi­cate. We all use language every day: on the telephone, in e-mails, in line for lunch, and, of course, in class.   But how aware are you of the words you choose? For instance, you may not think about how you speak to your grandmother in contrast to how you speak to your best friend, but it is highly likely that you use much more slang when communicating with your best friend.  Imagine your grandmother's face if she received a message you intended for your best friend. Recognizing the difference between these two audiences, your grand­mother and your best friend, offers a good way to begin seeing the study of rhetorical principles as a useful tool in the writing classroom. Consider the following example.  You want to persuade your friends to go to a club one evening when they would rather go to a movie. What kinds of things would you say to them to bring them around to your point of view?  Perhaps you know that one of your friends missed her workout that day.  She may be feeling guilty about skipping her workout and may be persuaded to forgo the buttered popcorn for the dance floor.  Because you know your audience, you are able to offer an appeal to your friend's sense of logic (dancing over popcorn) in order to go dancing.

So, rhetoric is useful in accessing an audience and in creating a good argument.   Some rhetorical tools used for creating good arguments include three basic appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos. Appeals are the methods you use to persuade your audience.  More simply, you speak to your reader or audience based on a sense of ethics (ethos), accord­ing to logic (logos), or through emotion (pathos), and most of the time you will need to use a combination of these.  In the above example, both a sense of logic (dancing will make up for a missed workout better than eating popcorn) and ethics (you know your friend values working out) help to create an effective argument. In using these appeals, you will create an ethos for yourself, a set of values or a persona that the reader will recognize and react to as they read your text or hear you speak.  Think about how politicians or even commer­cials use different strategies to speak to the audience.  Hallmark com­mercials using personal stories (pathos) are very different from political speeches listing facts and statistics (logos) to support their claims. Each is an appropriate strategy according to particular rhetorical situations.

In your Writing classes, or any classes you take in college, you will want to consider the knowledge base of your audience before you write a paper or give a presentation.  You may have to define certain terms more or choose less technical words to reach an audience unfamiliar with your topic.  You may be able to skip over some of the details if your audience clearly understands your topic and dive right into more complex issues.  Some situations call for a personal account of an important event in your life. In such a case you should think about how much information you want to share with your audience. Consider carefully how you want to appear in your essay or how you want your subject to seem.  What image do you want to create in the minds of your audience? As a rule, you should consider your rhetorical context to help you determine what words to choose based on the effect you seek to create.

Using rhetoric in the writing classroom should become second nature as you consider the relationship of the writer, audience, and subject for each text you read and write.  As you read essays, keep in mind the purpose and aim of the author and you will find that your interpreta­tions are fuller and more interesting. Also, remembering your audience as you create a text will allow you to be clear and specific.  Considering the appeals permits you to create interesting rhetorical strategies especially as you form and construct arguments. Rhetoric offers a rich and valuable tool for interpreting the world and improving writing skills.

*Gerald, Amy Spangler.  “Rhetoric in the Writing Class.”  Writing Matters 2001-2002 ed.  Rebecca Jones, Jackie Grutsch McKinney, Jason Tower, eds.  University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2001. 23-25.