Rhetoric Terms

Aristotle

“The rhetoric is a civil art, it is the faculty of discovering and using in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion.” (384- 322 BCE).

Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Rhetoric is one great art comprised of five lessor arts: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Rhetoric is speech designed to persuade." (106 – 43 BCE)

Andrea Lunsford

“Rhetoric is the art, practice, and study of human communication." (Scholar and Pioneer of American Rhetoric + Composition. Received OSU PhD in 1977)

Wendy Chrisman

“Rhetoric is anything that communicates, delivers a message, creates meaning, produces a reaction, creates change. It is the art and design of persuasion and it is progressive.” (Received OSU PhD in 2008)

RHETORICAL TRIANGLE

Refers to different sets of rhetoric that connect to create meaning/persuade (ethos, logos, pathos) (creation, creator, audience) (purpose, topic/message,context).

AMP

Available Means of Persuasion

RHETORICAL SITUATION

Describes the relationship between the parts of a rhetorical triangle - when everything in the rhetorical triangle (ethos, logos, pathos + creation, creator, audience + purpose, topic/message, context) comes together and make meaning, communicates, persuades, fulfills its rhetorical purpose, delivers its intended message.

Rhetorical Topic

What you are writing, researching, creating, speaking, presenting about.

Rhetorical Message

What you are intending to say about your topic, what your creation says (intentionally and unintentionally) about your topic.

Intended Reason

For your creation/message. The effect the creator intends to have on the audience.

Intended Reason Other Meaning

Also known as telos, the rhetorical purpose (or, purpose of communication, discourse, art, design)

Telos (Intended Reason) 1st Purpose

inform

instruct

teach

delight

entertain

inspire

persuade

Telos (Intended Reason) 2nd Purpose

move emotionally

evoke an emotion

change beliefs or behaviors

move to action

provoke

create a reaction

Telos (Intended Reason) 3rd Purpose

offer a new perspective

influence a decision

incite or revolutionize

connect

compare, contrast

gather or catalog

historically situate

Rhetorical Context Importance?

CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING

What are the three Rhetorical Contexts?

1) the rhetorical context for the doer / creator.

2) for the things done / creation (or topic or argument) itself.

3) for the audience of the creator and creation or thing done.

What is the purpose of rhetorical context?

The rhetorical context will shape our reading of a creation/creator.

The audience must discover what is necessary to know for

understanding/appreciating/accessing the creation + creator.

All three rhetorical contexts include everything that has shaped our worldview,

knowledge base, existence, also shapes how we perceive things.

What are included in rhetorical contexts?

current age, level of education, DOB, learning style, city/state and country of birth, major/minor – industry/field, Longest place of residence, ect,.