Rhetoric and Presence

References and Scholarly Context

• Foucault: A Critical Reader

  • Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell.

• Power and Marxist Theory: A Realist View

  • Isaac, J. C. (1987). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

• Liberty and Power in Nineteenth Century Public Argument

  • Jasinski, J. (1987). A Foucaultian analysis of Jacksonian rhetoric. In J. W. Wenzel (Ed.), Argument and Critical Practices: Proceedings of the Fifth SCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation. Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association.

• The Feminization of Liberty and Reconstitution of Power

  • Jasinski, J. (1993). Quarterly Journal of Speech, 79, 146-164.

• Language and Power

  • Kramarae, C., Schulz, M., & O’Barr, W. M. (Eds.). (1984). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

• Others include works by Luban, Lucaites, Lukes, McCarthy, McGee, and various others reflecting scholarly discussions in rhetoric and power dynamics.

Key Concepts in Presence and Argumentation

The Role of Selection in Argumentation

• Selective Argumentation: Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca (1969) argue that all argumentation is inevitably selective—impartiality in language use is an illusion.

• Rules Guiding Selection: What implicit rules influence this selection process?

• Presence Technique: A technique is required to create presence in discourse, involving verbal strategies to represent what is absent or enhance what is present.

Achieving Presence

• Verbal Magic: Techniques that evoke realities distant in time or space, making them tangible and vivid to the audience.

• Conceptual Metaphor: Presence creates a felt quality that impresses upon the audience's consciousness, capturing their attention and altering perceptions.

• Strategic Instrumental Value: Presence as essential in persuasive rhetoric rather than a mere philosophical concept.

• Interdependence of Form and Content: The connection between discourse's form and substantive content is emphasized.

Methods of Creating Presence

• Strategies Identified by Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca:

  • Repetition: Reinforces ideas to make them more memorable.

  • Illustrations: Use of specific cases to clarify abstract rules and enhance presence.

  • Accumulation of Material and Evocative Details: Adding depth and richness to an argument.

  • Syntactical and Stylistic Techniques: Utilizing language effectively to achieve presence.

Presence in Public Advocacy

• Stock Issues: Central issues that need to be made present in public discourse.

• Key Loci of Presence: Categories to enhance audience perception of urgency.

  • Urgency: Immediate impact on the audience.

  • Duration: Longevity of the problem’s effects.

  • Proximity: How the issue relates personally to the audience.

  • Magnitude: Impact may be large, showing widespread significance.

  • Severity: Highlighting extreme hardships caused by the issue.

The Concept of Presumption

• Definition: Presumption as the assumption that occupies ground until proven otherwise, relating to burden of proof in rhetoric.

  • Example from U.S. Justice System: The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

• Sources of Presumption: Existing institutions (status quo) and human inertia make presumption a powerful force in advocacy.

Historical Example of Presumption

• U.S. Constitution Debate: In 1787, advocates reframed the burden of proof concerning the need for a stronger central government than the Articles of Confederation provided.