Whites definition of rhetoric: The study of the ways in which character and communityand motive,

value, reason, social structure, everything, in short, that makes a cultureare defined and made real in
performances of language

Rhetoric
Imagine you are telling the story of how you accidentally smashed the tail-light of a parked car to
1) your
closest friend, 2) your mom, 3) the owner of the car, 4) the insurance agent, 5) people at a party. Cant you just see
yourself using words differently to adjust to those who are hearing you? Im not talking about lying, but about the
collection of communicative behaviors that you employ to position yourself in different situations. This might
include word choices, the way you frame the story, the tone you take, what you leave out, and even when you
keep silent. In order to succeed in communication, you have learned to use rhetoric (or not).
I think of rhetoric as the way we make meaning in words, or more specifically,
Using communication in such a way as to influence your listeners or readers to hear your side, favor you,
agree to your position, understand you, or for you to just fit in. Usually, rhetoric is thought of in terms
of words/languageand it does mean that more often than notbut I think we need to see it in terms of
communication, which could include non-linguistic signs as well, such as images, photography, gestures,
clothing, dance, form, architecture, etc.
Rhetoric, which used to be thought of as the art of persuasion and as a tool for argument (and is commonly
associated with sleazy intentions), has been newly reconceptualized in the last fifty years by language scholars.
What we call classical rhetoric was first devised by Aristotle in Greece, and carries the ideology of the dominant
class (AKA dead white European male) with its system of rules. Barbara Johnstone, a professor of rhetoric and
linguistics at Carnegie Mellon University, explains: Twentieth-century rhetoricians pointed out that dispute is not
the only context in which persuasion becomes necessary, and that rhetoric can be usefully taught and practiced as
a way of exploring all sides of an issue rather than for arguing for one against another. They also pointed out
that in the sense that all discourse is oriented towards creating identification (Burke) with all audiences, all
discourse is rhetorical (210, my emphasis).
When we participate in the social networks of our lives, we identify with those around us. We act out social
rhetoric all the time without realizing it because it feels like what makes sense to do. As one scholar puts it,
rhetoric becomes the condition of our existencea way of being, knowing, organizing, and acting in the
world. If you think about it, its hardif not impossibleto NOT be rhetorical.
Have you already emailed me or another professor before the first day of this class? Were you aware of your
rhetoric then? Here are examples of ways you use rhetoric already (either effectively or not)
posting on Facebook
texting with emojis
taking part in class discussion, staying silent, slouching and looking at the floor (this could be
thought of rhetorical positioning, because your body position communicates social meaning)
sending pictures on Snapchat, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
Authors of a writing textbook put it this way: Rhetoric is the use of language to accomplish something, and
rhetorical choices are the deliberate decisions speakers and writers make about accomplishing something with
language, such as what sort of tone and language to use, how to engage and address others, how to develop,
organize and present ones ideas so that others in the group can relate to them, what kinds of examples to use
when communicating, when and how to start talking and when and how to stop. The more appropriate our
rhetorical choices within a scene, the more likely we are to communicate effectively within it (Devitt, Bawarshi,
and Reiff 4-5).

Whites definition of rhetoric: The study of the ways in which character and communityand motive,
value, reason, social structure, everything, in short, that makes a cultureare defined and made real in
performances of language

One more definition: rhetorical situationa need or urgency that can be resolved by communication. Rhetorical
situations elicit the use of rhetoric to meet the situation. If your cell phone rings, it demands you respond. If
someone asks you a question, you have a rhetorical situation on your hands because the need to handle a social
circumstance has arisen and you meet it with rhetoricthe use of language to accomplish something. But what if
someone sends you a picture on Snapchat or Pinterest? Does that comprise a rhetorical situation? Would you use
language to respond, or another image? In todays digital environment, images can both create a rhetorical
impulse that elicits a response, and images can be the language by which the urgency is resolved.
Two of the most important lessons in a college rhetoric and composition class is rhetorical awareness (knowing
what works) and rhetorical agility (being able to do what works). Rhetorical awareness means being aware of the
language and expectations of speakers and listeners (or writers and readers). It involves the ability to size up a
situation and to communicate in appropriate ways. Effective rhetorical awareness entails understanding of how
you come across, how you present yourself to different audiences. Rhetorical agilitythe ability to produce
successful textsis crucial to participating as a competent member of the social groups we identify with.
Obviously, not all rhetorical situations require the same self-presentation. The word ethos is used to describe the
character of ones presentation. We also get the word ethics from ethos; you can see that its about the character
you present and therefore how believable or trustworthy you are. Aristotle invented three classic rhetorical
appeals to persuade an audience: logos appropriate logic; ethosappropriate character; and pathos
appropriate sentiment.
Perhaps one of the most demanding reasons we need to develop rhetorical awareness and skill is rooted in the
demands of the digital culture in which we are immersed. Communication not only happens on the Internet but
has been changed by it. The information age becomes information overload if we are not aware of whats going on
around us rhetorically. New media scholar Daniel Keller maintains that we live in the age of acceleration and
that when information abounds, what is most valuable is attention. [] Richard Lanham (2006) argued that all
this information requires better filters, with rhetoric being one of the most effective filters. Lanham claims
rhetoricians have a special place in this attention economy because rhetoric is primarily concerned with gaining
and directing attention (100).
A reader/writer/communicator in the digital age must have superior rhetorical comprehension and ability in order
to navigate the world online and in real life. Digital literacy demands the ability to produce content, too. Ever
more so, an educated literate person needs to make stuff that is rhetorically successful in plugged-in environments.