For this last blog entry, I found the readings to be really interesting in the term of rhetoric. First off, I found Stephen Toulmin very interesting in the sense that he wasn't actually at all interested in rhetoric when doing his work on argument. What I really enjoyed reading about Toulmin was his interested in data and warrant. Toulmin focuses more on "logic of arguments rather than of propositions." He goes on to continue in his piece The Uses of Argument that "model is to demonstrate, first, that most arguments have a more complex structure than the syllogism and, second, that the syllogism misrepresents the very nature of argument by its arbitrary restriction to a three part structure." (1410) After reading about Toulmin, I found it interesting to be reading about a man who really wasn't focused on rhetoric or the subject even, but making such a huge impact on the idea of that "knowledge is the product of argument." I enjoyed reading about Toulmin because his perspective and views are so different than many rhetoricians we have read about before. I did enjoy this part in the reading as well. "Indeed, Toulmin shows little interest in rhetoric as a subject. In his first book, An Examination of the Place of Reason in Ethics, he uses the term rhetoric to refer to emotional statements about ethical principles. In place of the terms rhetoric and argument, he clearly prefers the phrase practical reasoning." (14111)
Reading about someone who doesn't prefer the subject rhetoric, yet still manages to get his name in the giant Rhetorical Tradition textbook did something right in his life. I also really enjoyed reading about Michel Foucault as well. He came across as very philosophical as well as knowledgeable. In his reading, the one sentence that most stood out to be was the following: "Knowledge is created not by the act of observing, Foucault says, but through 'relations...between institutions, economic and social processes, behavioral patterns, systems of norms, techniques, types of classification, modes of characterization; and these relations are not present in the object." I found this extremely fascinating to read about because he is not just claiming we obtain knowledge through just seeing and living, but through observation. Through really identifying and looking at what could is. I believe that Foucault offers a new perspective on what we call rhetoric and these last readings were really interesting to see how even though certain arguments and techniques can be classified as rhetoric, they don't have to be rhetoric.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
Reading Response - Tuesday, Nov. 17
During this reading, I ended up focusing on Marxism and the Philosophy of Language. I found this most interesting, but honestly I have heard about Marxism but I would not be able to tell you what it actually is. I find this to be a big bummer. Now that it is my senior year, I would I go back and tell myself to remember important things like this because now I regret not knowing true and valuable information like this. But regardless of this, I found it interesting that basis of signs and that in regards to language.
On page 1210 it states the following: "Everything ideological possesses meaning: it represents, depicts, or stands for something lying outside of itself. In other words, it is a sign. Without signs, there is no ideology. A physical body equals itself, so to speak; it does not signify anything but wholly coincides with its particular given nature. In this case there is no question of ideology." (pg. 1210)
I found this paragraph very interesting at a reader because it is such a bizarre concept to think about. When thinking about everything, it is true that everything does have a sign. It also says, "Every sign is subject to the criteria of ideological evaluation (i.e. whether it is true, false, correct, fair, good, etc.). The domain of ideology coincides with the domain of signs They equate with one another. Wherever a sign is present, ideology is present, too." (pg. 1211) I just find this concepts to bizarre to wrap my head around. Marxism is such a huge part of our world and logic.
I feel as though rhetoric is interrelated in someway or another I find it hard to believe we haven't as a society put these pieces together yet. The world is such a large place, but yet we can somehow connect every thing to one another.
On page 1210 it states the following: "Everything ideological possesses meaning: it represents, depicts, or stands for something lying outside of itself. In other words, it is a sign. Without signs, there is no ideology. A physical body equals itself, so to speak; it does not signify anything but wholly coincides with its particular given nature. In this case there is no question of ideology." (pg. 1210)
I found this paragraph very interesting at a reader because it is such a bizarre concept to think about. When thinking about everything, it is true that everything does have a sign. It also says, "Every sign is subject to the criteria of ideological evaluation (i.e. whether it is true, false, correct, fair, good, etc.). The domain of ideology coincides with the domain of signs They equate with one another. Wherever a sign is present, ideology is present, too." (pg. 1211) I just find this concepts to bizarre to wrap my head around. Marxism is such a huge part of our world and logic.
I feel as though rhetoric is interrelated in someway or another I find it hard to believe we haven't as a society put these pieces together yet. The world is such a large place, but yet we can somehow connect every thing to one another.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Reading Response to Tuesday the 11th, for Thursday Class?
I didn't really know what to read for Thursday, since there were readings for Tuesday too, so I am just going to talk about Tuesday's readings for Thursday!
The most interesting thing I found was in our Rhetoric Tradition was on page 988 about the nineteenth century America and really some of the first times that Protestant women spoke out. The paragraph reads, "the tendency for Protestant women to speak out on public issues gave rise to sustained political movement conducted by women, a movement that began in public social action against slavery and expanded into a campaign for broad agenda of civil rights." Later on in the paragraph it says, "People of color, previously largely excluded from rhetorical tradition defined as white as well as male, would not simply imitate white rhetoric but would develop their own ways of using language for public action..."
After reading this paragraph, it made me really reexamine why I am in deciding to take this route of rhetoric and why I enjoy this major so much. Rhetoric is such a universal concept that it is so hard not to be happy thinking about it. It is the one thing that allows everyone to connect. After reading that last sentence that I quoted above, I found it so cool that people of color could develop their own ways and methods. Which all makes total sense because there are so many different cultures and practices out in the world that it is cool that rhetoric can be different too.
Rhetoric is so universal, yet such special thing. Regardless of text or oral, we are all using words and a type of vernacular to express our emotions and feelings and thoughts and persuasions. It is such a cool idea that people overlook so easily. I even overlook it and I am practicing this major everyday. Rhetoric is a unique thing and I am happy to see that the world we live in is able to express it differently in other parts of the world.
The most interesting thing I found was in our Rhetoric Tradition was on page 988 about the nineteenth century America and really some of the first times that Protestant women spoke out. The paragraph reads, "the tendency for Protestant women to speak out on public issues gave rise to sustained political movement conducted by women, a movement that began in public social action against slavery and expanded into a campaign for broad agenda of civil rights." Later on in the paragraph it says, "People of color, previously largely excluded from rhetorical tradition defined as white as well as male, would not simply imitate white rhetoric but would develop their own ways of using language for public action..."
After reading this paragraph, it made me really reexamine why I am in deciding to take this route of rhetoric and why I enjoy this major so much. Rhetoric is such a universal concept that it is so hard not to be happy thinking about it. It is the one thing that allows everyone to connect. After reading that last sentence that I quoted above, I found it so cool that people of color could develop their own ways and methods. Which all makes total sense because there are so many different cultures and practices out in the world that it is cool that rhetoric can be different too.
Rhetoric is so universal, yet such special thing. Regardless of text or oral, we are all using words and a type of vernacular to express our emotions and feelings and thoughts and persuasions. It is such a cool idea that people overlook so easily. I even overlook it and I am practicing this major everyday. Rhetoric is a unique thing and I am happy to see that the world we live in is able to express it differently in other parts of the world.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Reading Response - November 5th
I found it interesting about everything that makes up style. Between composition and ornament alone, there is so much involved with it. It basically takes everything we learned from kindergarten through high school and puts a rhetorician's twist on it. I am just in shock that how much there is to an argument. I mean, I know I have successfully won arguments that inquire screaming and yelling, but I have won. I know I am not proud of it, because I wish I relayed off valid points and won my argument through fact and knowledge, not screaming and yelling. But after reading this chapter, it makes a lot of sense that any argument requires style. Such as a lawyer, needs to have an opening argument and closing argument. However, I do feel like a lot of these are great for maneuvering and not per say tricking your audience, but persuading them without really persuading them.
Such as, the term metonomy. "Metonomy, 'altered name,' names something with a word or phrase closely associate with with it: 'the White House' for the president of the United States or 'the Kremlin' for the leadership of the former Union of Socialist Soviet Republics." By using this strategy, you are using word association to persuade your audience. Or another word trick would be the use of hyperbaton. "Hyperbaton is the transposition of a word to somewhere other than its usual place." I liked what Quintilian said about hyperbaton. "But, as Quintilian noted, it can be called a trope when 'the meaning is not complete until the two words have been put together.'" I found this interesting because it seems very true.
I enjoyed reading this types of new strategic word associations. I am still just mind blown. This chapter was a lot longer than I anticipated. So who knew there would be so much to style of persuasion.
Such as, the term metonomy. "Metonomy, 'altered name,' names something with a word or phrase closely associate with with it: 'the White House' for the president of the United States or 'the Kremlin' for the leadership of the former Union of Socialist Soviet Republics." By using this strategy, you are using word association to persuade your audience. Or another word trick would be the use of hyperbaton. "Hyperbaton is the transposition of a word to somewhere other than its usual place." I liked what Quintilian said about hyperbaton. "But, as Quintilian noted, it can be called a trope when 'the meaning is not complete until the two words have been put together.'" I found this interesting because it seems very true.
I enjoyed reading this types of new strategic word associations. I am still just mind blown. This chapter was a lot longer than I anticipated. So who knew there would be so much to style of persuasion.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Essay #2
What’s better: Oral or Print?
Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian. All classical thinkers, all responsible with creating the basis of rhetoric. Aristotle, a man of wit, created the basis for what rhetoric is today. Cicero then showed up and became one of the most significant rhetoricians of all time. Cicero took the writings of past rhetoricians and became a renown orator and writing of rhetoric. Cicero was the first to introduce and set a new standard of rhetorician to be well-versed in multiple branches, not just persuasion. Quintilian then polished some ideas of an orator to become active, virtuous, and a well minded and public citizen. He changed the concepts of rhetoric and turned into a lifestyle. So how did that change of from print and text to oral speech affect people and their thoughts behind rhetoric? Overall, it would be believed that oral can be more effective in certain situations, while text can be effective in other ways. However, text articles can relay facts quickly, without distractions, while oral speech, such as a news casts can give off multiple aspects, including an emotional appeal to viewers as well as many different facets of news. So, depending on the issue will dictate the relationship and compel the audience to relate to the speech or text in a different ways.
Currently, the United States has been stuck with the well known virus called Ebola. Ebola is a “rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains.” (CDC) The article then continues on to explain the origin of the virus. “Ebola viruses are found in several African countries. Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” (CDC) Since the outbreak the USA has seen six outbreak of Ebola, with only one fatality. According to the text article that Forbes Magazine has produced, says that the worst possible scenario for the United States is becoming less and less each day. “With no more U.S. Ebola patients and no more deaths, that worst-case scenario begins to look more and more unlikely. And the best-case scenario - that the United States has weathered a public heath crisis and will be stronger for it - is starting to become more realistic, too” (Diamond) With the optimism that Forbes is producing, the text of this article seems calm and relays the message that the United States in strong. Concluding the article, Forbes continues to express concern that Ebola is still not going away. “Tens of thousands remain sick or at risk in West Africa, and the longer there’s an Ebola hotspot on any part of the globe, the worse it will be for the rest of the world.” (Diamond) By stating such a powerful accusation, Forbes uses certain rhetoric techniques, such as ethos and logos to convince the reader the strength and power behind the deadly virus. Forbes then ends the article by saying this: “Ebola came to America. And America is beating Ebola back.” (Diamond) With this window of truth, the message is strong and clear to any reader that Ebola is losing the fight and America is coming back swinging. The message of this article seems fit and clear dictating the reader to assume optimism in the fight against Ebola, in addition to relaying credible information. With only text, the reader can pick up on the context of the article without feeling the massive landslide of emotion, as well as learning more factual information. All text base articles only carry one main purpose, which is to inform the readers about news and give their audience as much information as they can. With this being said, print and text articles can mandate how a reader can conclude an article.
After proving that the main feature of a text article is to relay facts as quickly as possible, an oral speech varies, but usually zooms in more on the emotional appeal or also known as pathos. Although it does carry ethos, like any news story should, the emotional response is what draws the viewer back time and time again. A short clip posted by CNN on October 19, 2014, answers some the United States’ questions about decontamination for Ebola. Erick McCallum, Owner of CG Environment, otherwise known as the “Cleaning Guys” are put on the case of decontaminating the apartment of deceased Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan, along with taking care of Bentley, the dog of nurse Nina Pham, who was recently just cleared of Ebola. With this short four minute and forty-second clip, the audience is introduced to how the decontamination process works. CNN anchor asks McCallum a serious of questions about the decontamination process, what they must do and how the company handles it emotionally. In this video, both anchor and McCallum resume serious faces and genuine voices, letting the audience know that the topic of discussion is severe. While the two are conversing, the clip is also showing a silent clip on the other half of the screen of two employees of McCallum’s that are cleaning the apartment. Among the images that are being displayed, these employee’s are in full body, yellow hazmat suits transporting tightly wrapped objects and boxes that were in the apartment with the potential risk of Ebola on them. After the decontamination process was explained, the anchor also asks about Bentley and then show pictures of the dog in a quarantined area, unable to go outside. By using these almost Hollywood like pictures, the use of pathos taps into the audiences emotional appeal. Examining the facial features as well as the tone of their voices of the two gentlemen, plus CNN bringing pictures of Nina Pham’s dog, and showing clips of the deceased victim’s apartment, the entire clip is using pathos to show the severity of the situation. By using pathos, the persuasion is at full swing, bring back the viewers at a later time for more information about the disease. This video is a representation of the seriousness behind the issue and has many more facets than a print article does.
Another example of extremely well played commercial that uses all three of Aristotle’s persuasion techniques is the oral speech of Sarah McLachlan’s ASPCA animal cruelty commercials. The use of dismal music, the pictures of dozens of hurt animals, and her popular reputation is the perfect use of ethos, pathos and logos. By using pathos, the commercial tunes into people’s emotional and sympathetic side for animals by going straight for their heart strings. Sarah McLachlan, a singer who is very well known for her emotional songs such as “I Will Remember You,” played into the commercial very well, due to her solid reputation for being soft hearted. By using her, people were more likely to view the commercial giving it creditability. While she is speaking, the audience is viewing many pictures of abused animals. By the end of the commercial and combining ethos and pathos, McLachlan asks for a donation for ASPCA to help these animals find loving homes which could easily appear as logos. Asking for donations, especially for injured animals appears logical to any viewer. This particular commercial uses all three techniques to a tee which ended up raising over 30 million dollars in the first year. (New York Times) However, the commercial does not give the audience any statistical information, like a text article would. If the ASPCA was trying to write a formal article, their only source would be that of logos, which would be proven through studies and surveys and giving correct numbers to their readers. Without the use of ethos and pathos, it could be predicted that the ASPCA would not have earned as much as they did with the commercial.
After viewing Aristotle’s techniques of persuasion, (ethos, pathos, and logos) it could be stated that depending on the audience, if they are readers or viewers, will dictate how text or oral speech will effect them. If the audience tends to be readers, articles of text will do more using ethos and logos and giving them facts fast. If the audience tends to be viewers, all three will suffice. In the end, depending on the issue at hand will direct the audience to what will be more effective for them personally.
Works Cited
"About Ebola Virus Disease." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 3 Oct. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html>.
Diamond, Dan. "America Is Beating Ebola: Every Patient Taken To An Elite U.S. Facility Has Survived." Forbes 23 Oct. 2014. Print.
Strom, Stephanie. "Ad Featuring Singer Proves Bonanza for the A.S.P.C.A." The New York Times 25 Dec. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/us/26charity.html?_r=1&>.
What It Takes to Keep Ebola Under Control. CNN.com, 2014. Film.
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