Modern and Post-Modern Rhetoric intro

 `In RT the introduction to Modern and Post-Modern Rhetoric covers the twentieth century and the decline of rhetoric as an academic discipline. However rhetoric was also revived in the form of discourse which involves acceptance of language as a social behavior. One of the ways this change affected learning institutions was the change in focus from literature rhetoric to speech. The use of oral rhetoric to gain recognition and to have your voice heard became the focus. The chapter also covers the use of philosophy in order to understand rhetoric. I feel like this use is especially apparent in arguments that use the reasoning, “If a is b and b is c then a is c.”. One type of philosophy that has a strong influence on rhetoric is semantics. If using semantics you have to analyze the mental behavior of the audience to realize whether they will take something you say in the way it is meant or not. If a rhetor chose to make a sarcastic comment or a joke to the wrong sort of audience it could cause he/she to lose support from that group of people. One of the biggest differences between early rhetoric and this new twentieth century form is that the old form is considered mainly a use of persuasion, whereas in the new form rhetoric is a foundation of knowledge that persuades on its own.  

Chapter 12

 Chapter 12 is all about oral discourse and the delivery of a written rhetoric as well as the history of one. The author gives a brief introduction about how oral delivery was a common method in the days of Aristotle due to the fact that most people were unable to write. This led to the oral delivery being crucial in an argument. The problem with this was that whoever was reading the rhetoric could completely alter the piece just by adjusting the delivery which angered many rhetors such as Aristotle because it detracted from their work.

Ethos is a valuable part of oral delivery because everything you do physically affects the ethos. If you raise your voice you could be considered angry or excited whereas if you avoid eye contact the audience might find you distrustful. Hand gestures are another important piece, a lot of people say they talk with their hands and this is no exaggeration. The types of movements you make and the speed can tell the audience what your tone is and how they should be responding to your delivery. One of the ways that rhetors were able to preserve their voice in writing was in the creation of punctuation which was non-existent in early years. By putting a period or exclamation mark in the writing the rhetor could dictate how the piece was read keeping the delivery how it was intended by the writer.

Another important piece of literary rhetoric is the imagery in the writing. By using certain words that are descriptive and vivid you can put the reader in the shoes of the writer and make it feel like they are almost there. This type of relation can be extremely useful because of the strong ethos effect it has on the audience in helping them relate.  

Chapter 11

 In the beginning of chapter 11 the author tells the story of Simonides and relates it to Kairos. The gods Castor and Pollux are used as an example of Kairos because they sent a message for Simonides to come outside at the opportune moment which saved the mans life from the building falling in. However the main purpose of the chapter is to demonstrate how memory is related to the concept of Kairos. The chapter relates how Kairos and memory are alike in many ways, both require an attunment with the audience, they can make or break an argument, and the are the solid foundation for oral arguments.

Another concept discussed is the difference between and artificial memory and a natural memory. Even today this is a very applicable concept of learning and memory. A natural memory is what we use every day to recall certain situations or things people have said. An artificial memory is how we train our brain to remember things, for example associating a memory with a song would be an artificial memory. In a way artificial memory is the equivalent of studying. The most famous practitioners of artificial memory were the sophists and one in particular by the name of Hippias. He was known for his amazing ability to recollect extensive information and names. One type of memory is cultural memory which is a communal memory such as family stories or poems created to pass down memories through generations. Another type of memory is organizational memory in which we use a sequence to remember information, such as counting or the alphabet and associating that sequence with a memory such as fingers or food with the same first letter. Lastly we use literacy to remember things by recording them in books, electronicly, and paraphrasing so that we can return to the idea and recall it from our memory.  

Chapter 10

 Chapter 10 of ARCS discusses the third cannon of rhetoric known as style. One of the important figures in the history of rhetoric and style is Gorgia's who was credited with the discovery that extra ordinary uses of language were useful in not only poetry but prose. This ornament of language is useful in exciting emotion the audience and creating a mental sketch of the argument instead of explaining it. The main purpose of the chapter is to discuss the many ways that rhetors enhanced their ethos. By enhancing that ethos the rhetors were able to become closer to the audience which make it easier for the audience to support the argument if they take a personal stance in it. Another tool used by the rhetors is the trick of reasoning by question and answer. This trick allows the speaker to repeat their position more than once as well as state an opposing view or question the audience may have. You hear much of this in politics today and religious speeches especially where the speaker is trying to move the audience into an emotional frenzy. The question and answer trick is also commonly used in inspirational speeches such as pre game by coaches. I know I personally have heard my coaches ask us if we are going to lose and then answer his own question with a loud “No!” in order to get us all riled up and the truth is it works.