Rhetoric & Technical Communication
Rhetoric & Technical Communication
Toscano, Aaron, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of English

Resources and Daily Activities

  • Conference Presentations
    • PCA/ACA Conference Presentation 2022
    • PCAS/ACAS Presentation 2021
    • SEACS 2021 Presentation
    • South Atlantic MLA Conference 2022
  • Dr. Toscano’s Homepage
  • ENGL 2116-014: Introduction to Technical Communication
    • January 11th: More Introduction to Class
    • January 18th: Audience & Purpose
    • January 23rd: Résumés and Cover Letters
      • Duty Format for Résumés
      • Peter Profit’s Cover Letter
    • January 25th: More on Résumés and Cover Letters
    • January 9th: Introduction to the Class
    • Major Assignments
  • ENGL 4182/5182: Information Design & Digital Publishing
    • August 21st: Introduction to the Course
      • Rhetorical Principles of Information Design
    • August 28th: Introduction to Information Design
      • Prejudice and Rhetoric
      • Robin Williams’s Principles of Design
    • Classmates Webpages (Fall 2017)
    • December 4th: Presentations
    • Major Assignments for ENGL 4182/5182 (Fall 2017)
    • November 13th: More on Color
      • Designing with Color
      • Important Images
    • November 20th: Extra-Textual Elements
    • November 27th: Presentation/Portfolio Workshop
    • November 6th: In Living Color
    • October 16th: Type Fever
      • Typography
    • October 23rd: More on Type
    • October 2nd: MIDTERM FUN!!!
    • October 30th: Working with Graphics
      • Beerknurd Calendar 2018
    • September 11th: Talking about Design without Using “Thingy”
      • Theory, theory, practice
    • September 18th: The Whole Document
    • September 25th: Page Design
  • ENGL 4183/5183: Editing with Digital Technologies
    • August 24th: Introduction to the Class
    • August 31st: Rhetoric, Words, and Composing
    • Major Assignments for ENGL 4183/5183 (Fall 2022)
      • Rhetoric of Fear
    • November 16th: Voice and Other Nebulous Writing Terms
      • Finding Dominant Rhetorical Appeals
    • November 2nd: Rhetorical Effects of Punctuation
    • November 30th: Words and Word Classes
    • November 9th: Cohesive Rhythm
    • October 12th: Choosing Adjectivals
    • October 19th: Choosing Nominals
    • October 26th: Stylistic Variations
    • October 5th: Midterm Exam
    • September 14th: Verb is the Word!
    • September 21st: Coordination and Subordination
    • September 28th: Form and Function
    • September 7th: Sentence Patterns
  • ENGL 4275: Rhetoric of Technology
    • April 13th: Authorities in Science and Technology
    • April 15th: Articles on Violence in Video Games
    • April 20th: Presentations
    • April 6th: Technology in the home
    • April 8th: Writing Discussion
    • Assignments for ENGL 4275
    • February 10th: Religion of Technology Part 3 of 3
    • February 12th: Is Love a Technology?
    • February 17th: Technology and Gender
    • February 19th: Technology and Expediency
    • February 24th: Semester Review
    • February 3rd: Religion of Technology Part 1 of 3
    • February 5th: Religion of Technology Part 2 of 3
    • January 13th: Technology and Meaning, a Humanist perspective
    • January 15th: Technology and Democracy
    • January 22nd: The Politics of Technology
    • January 27th: Discussion on Writing as Thinking
    • January 29th: Technology and Postmodernism
    • January 8th: Introduction to the Course
    • March 11th: Writing and Other Fun
    • March 16th: Neuromancer (1984) Day 1 of 2
    • March 18th: Neuromancer (1984) Day 2 of 2
    • March 23rd: Inception (2010)
    • March 25th: Writing and Reflecting Discussion
    • March 30th & April 1st: Count Zero
    • March 9th: William Gibson’s Neuromancer (1984)
  • ENGL 6166: Rhetorical Theory
    • April 12th: Knoblauch. Ch. 4 and Ch. 5
    • April 19th: Jacques Derrida’s Positions
    • April 26th:  Feminisms and Rhetorics
    • April 5th: Knoblauch. Ch. 3 and More Constitutive Rhetoric
    • February 15th: Isocrates (Part 2)
    • February 1st: Aristotle’s On Rhetoric Books 2 & 3
      • Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 2
      • Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 3
    • February 22nd: St. Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine [Rhetoric]
    • February 8th: Isocrates (Part 1)-2nd Half of Class
    • January 11th: Introduction to Class
    • January 18th: Plato’s Phaedrus
    • January 25th: Aristotle’s On Rhetoric Book 1
    • March 15th: Descartes, Rene, Discourse on Method
    • March 1st: Knoblauch. Ch. 1 and 2
    • March 22nd: Mary Wollstonecraft
    • March 29th: Second Wave Feminist Rhetoric
    • May 3rd: Knoblauch. Ch. 6, 7, and “Afterword”
    • Rhetorical Theory Assignments
  • ENGL/COMM/WRDS: The Rhetoric of Fear
    • January 10th: Introduction to the Class
    • January 17th: Scapegoats & Conspiracies
    • January 24th: The Rhetoric of Fear and Fallacies Part 1
    • Major Assignments
  • LBST 2212-124, 125, 126, & 127
    • August 21st: Introduction to Class
    • August 23rd: Humanistic Approach to Science Fiction
    • August 26th: Robots and Zombies
    • August 28th: Futurism, an Introduction
    • August 30th: R. A. Lafferty “Slow Tuesday Night” (1965)
    • December 2nd: Technological Augmentation
    • December 4th: Posthumanism
    • November 11th: Salt Fish Girl (Week 2)
    • November 13th: Salt Fish Girl (Week 2 con’t)
    • November 18th: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Part 1)
      • More Questions than Answers
    • November 1st: Games Reality Plays (part II)
    • November 20th: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Part 2)
    • November 6th: Salt Fish Girl (Week 1)
    • October 14th: More Autonomous Fun
    • October 16th: Autonomous Conclusion
    • October 21st: Sci Fi in the Domestic Sphere
    • October 23rd: Social Aphasia
    • October 25th: Dust in the Wind
    • October 28th: Gender Liminality and Roles
    • October 2nd: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
    • October 30th: Games Reality Plays (part I)
    • October 9th: Approaching Autonomous
      • Analyzing Prose in Autonomous
    • September 11th: The Time Machine
    • September 16th: The Alien Other
    • September 18th: Post-apocalyptic Worlds
    • September 20th: Dystopian Visions
    • September 23rd: World’s Beyond
    • September 25th: Gender Studies and Science Fiction
    • September 30th: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
    • September 4th: Science Fiction and Social Breakdown
      • More on Ellison
      • More on Forster
    • September 9th: The Time Machine
  • LBST 2213-110: Science, Technology, and Society
    • August 22nd: Science and Technology from a Humanistic Perspective
    • August 24th: Science and Technology, a Humanistic Approach
    • August 29th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 2
    • August 31st: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 3 and 4
    • December 5th: Video Games and Violence, a more nuanced view
    • November 14th: Boulle, Pierre. Planet of the Apes. (1964) Ch. 27-end
    • November 16th: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Preface-Ch. 8
    • November 21st: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Ch. 9-Ch. 16
    • November 28th: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ch. 17-Ch. 24
    • November 30th: Violence in Video Games
    • November 7th: Boulle, Pierre. Planet of the Apes Ch. 1-17
    • November 9th: Boulle, Pierre. Planet of the Apes, Ch. 18-26
    • October 12th: Lies Economics Tells
    • October 17th: Brief Histories of Medicine, Salerno, and Galen
    • October 19th: Politicizing Science and Medicine
    • October 24th: COVID-19 Facial Covering Rhetoric
    • October 26th: Wells, H. G. Time Machine. Ch. 1-5
    • October 31st: Wells, H. G. The Time Machine Ch. 6-The End
    • October 3rd: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 7 and Conclusion
    • September 12th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 7 and Conclusion
    • September 19th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Prefaces and Ch. 1
    • September 26th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 2
    • September 28th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 5 and 6
    • September 7th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 5 and 6
  • New Media: Gender, Culture, Technology (Spring 2021)
    • April 13th: Virtually ‘Real’ Environments
    • April 20th: Rhetoric/Composition Defines New Media
    • April 27th: Sub/Cultural Politics, Hegemony, and Agency
    • April 6th: Capitalist Realism
    • February 16: Misunderstanding the Internet
    • February 23rd: Our Public Sphere and the Media
    • February 2nd: Introduction to Cultural Studies
    • January 26th: Introduction to New Media
    • Major Assignments for New Media (Spring 2021)
    • March 16th: Identity Politics
    • March 23rd: Social Construction of Gender and Sexuality
    • March 2nd: Foundational Thinkers in Cultural Studies
    • March 30th: Hyperreality
    • March 9th: Globalization & Postmodernism
    • May 4th: Wrapping Up The Semester
      • Jodi Dean “The The Illusion of Democracy” & “Communicative Capitalism”
      • Social Construction of Sexuality
  • Science Fiction in American Culture (Summer I–2020)
    • Assignments for Science Fiction in American Culture
    • Cultural Studies and Science Fiction Films
    • June 10th: Interstellar and Exploration themes
    • June 11th: Bicentennial Man
    • June 15th: I’m Only Human…Or am I?
    • June 16th: Wall-E and Environment
    • June 17th: Wall-E (2008) and Technology
    • June 18th: Interactivity in Video Games
    • June 1st: Firefly (2002) and Myth
    • June 2nd: “Johnny Mnemonic”
    • June 3rd: “New Rose Hotel”
    • June 4th: “Burning Chrome”
    • June 8th: Conformity and Monotony
    • June 9th: Cultural Constructions of Beauty
    • May 18th: Introduction to Class
    • May 19th: American Culture, an Introduction
    • May 20th: The Matrix
    • May 21st: Gender and Science Fiction
    • May 25th: Goals for I, Robot
    • May 26th: Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot
    • May 27th: Hackers and Slackers
    • May 30th: Inception
  • Teaching Portfolio
  • Topics for Analysis
    • A Practical Editing Situation
    • American Culture, an Introduction
    • Efficiency in Writing Reviews
    • Feminism, An Introduction
    • Fordism/Taylorism
    • Frankenstein Part I
    • Frankenstein Part II
    • Futurism Introduction
    • Isaac Asimov’s “A Cult of Ignorance”
    • Langdon Winner Summary: The Politics of Technology
    • Marxist Theory (cultural analysis)
    • Oral Presentations
    • Oratory and Argument Analysis
    • Our Public Sphere
    • Postmodernism Introduction
    • Protesting Confederate Place
    • Punctuation Refresher
    • QT, the Existential Robot
    • Religion of Technology Discussion
    • Rhetoric, an Introduction
      • Analyzing the Culture of Technical Writer Ads
      • Rhetoric of Technology
      • Visual Culture
      • Visual Perception
      • Visual Perception, Culture, and Rhetoric
      • Visual Rhetoric
      • Visuals for Technical Communication
      • World War I Propaganda
    • The Great I, Robot Discussion
      • I, Robot Short Essay Topics
    • The Rhetoric of Video Games: A Cultural Perspective
      • Civilization, an Analysis
    • The Sopranos
    • Why Science Fiction?
    • Zombies and Consumption Satire
  • Video Games & American Culture
    • April 14th: Phallocentrism
    • April 21st: Video Games and Neoliberalism
    • April 7th: Video Games and Conquest
    • Assignments for Video Games & American Culture
    • February 10th: Aesthetics and Culture
    • February 17th: Narrative and Catharsis
    • February 24th: Serious Games
    • February 3rd: More History of Video Games
    • January 13th: Introduction to the course
    • January 20th: Introduction to Video Game Studies
    • January 27th: Games & Culture
      • Marxism for Video Game Analysis
      • Postmodernism for Video Game Analysis
    • March 24th: Realism, Interpretation(s), and Meaning Making
    • March 31st: Feminist Perspectives and Politics
    • March 3rd: Risky Business?

Contact Me

Office: Fretwell 255F
Email: atoscano@uncc.edu
ENGL 6166: Rhetorical Theory » January 25th: Aristotle’s On Rhetoric Book 1

January 25th: Aristotle’s On Rhetoric Book 1

Plan for the Evening

  • Canvas Prompts are due on Tuesdays by Noon
  • Major Assignments Page
  • Encomiums of Helen (questions)
  • Phaedrus (if needed)
  • Aristotle’s On Rhetoric (Available here and Lee’s Honeycutt’s website)
    • Lee Honeycutt was a former alumnus from our MA program
    • He went on to have a very successful career at Iowa State University
    • In Memoriam

Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 1

Aristotle Highlights

A way I describe Aristotle is “the great organizer.” He was particularly concerned (according to my interpretation of the historical record) with explaining his philosophy on judicial rhetoric. However, he also has much to say about other types of rhetoric. Let’s consider the three genera (or species) of rhetoric according to Aristotle (1.3.5, Kennedy p. 48; Part 3, para. 1 Online); Chapter 3):

  • Deliberative (political): deliberate about a future action in the best interests of the state.
  • Judicial (forensic): prosecution or defense in court.
  • Epideictic (demonstrative, ceremonial): speeches of praise or blame on someone or thing: often ceremonial but not seeking immediate action.

Major Aristotelian quotes:

  • Rhetoric and dialectic:
    “Rhetoric is an antistrophos* to dialectic; for both are concerned with such things as are, to a certain extent, within the knowledge of all people and belong to no separately defined science” (1.1.1, Kennedy p. 30; Part 1, para. 1 Online)
    *counterpart, correlative
    • This goes along with today’s prompt in that it explains rhetoric deals with common knowledge…perhaps conventional wisdom…common sense.
  • “12. but rhetoric is useful, [first] because the true and the just are by nature stronger than their opposites.” (1.1.1, Kennedy p. 35; Part 1, para. 7 Online; Chapter 1-[1355a])
    • Kennedy points out that “Aristotle believed that truth was grounded in nature (physis) and capable of apprehension by reason” (p. 35, note 23).
  • Aristotle defines rhetoric:
    “Let rhetoric be [defined as] an ability, in each [particular] case, to see the available means of persuasion” (1.2.1, Kennedy p. 37; Part 2, para. 1 Online)
  • Three modes of persuasion (Aristotle 1.2.4, Kennedy p. 38; Part 2, para. 3 Online; Chapter 2)
    • Ethos: “[There is persuasion] through character whenever the speech is spoken in such a way as to make the speaker worthy of credence; for we believe fair-minded people to a greater extent and more quickly [than we do others] on all subjects in general and completely so in cases where there is not exact knowledge but room for doubt.” (Aristotle 1.2.4, Kennedy p. 38; Part 2, para. 3 Online)
    • Pathos (Aristotle 1.2.5, Kennedy p. 39; Part 2, para. 4 Online; Chapter 2-[1356a]): “[There is persuasion] through the hearers when they are led to feel emotion [pathos] by the speech.”
    • Logos (Aristotle 1.2.6, Kennedy p. 39; Part 2, para. 5 Online; Chapter 2-[1356b]): “Persuasion occurs through the arguments [logoi] when we show the truth or the apparent truth from whatever is persuasive in each case.”

Syllogisms and Enthymemes:

  • “A syllogism is wholly from propositions, and the enthymeme is a syllogism consisting of propositions expressed” (Aristotle 1.3.7, Kennedy p. 50, italics mine; Part 3, para. 5 Online)
    Kennedy notes that proposition may not be expressed but assumed.
    • “I {Aristotle} call a rhetorical syllogism an enthymeme” (1.2.8, Kennedy p. 40; Part 2, para. 5 Online) 3rd sentence down
    • In Aristotle’s case, enthymemes deal in probabilities (1.2.14, Kennedy p. 42; Part 2, para. 9 Online) and are used for persuading as opposed to demonstrating a truth.
    • Consider an enthymeme as such:
      *Major Premise (assumed by audience)
      *Minor Premise (assumed by audience–either the Major Premise or Minor Premise is assumed)
      Therefore, a likely conclusion or a probable conclusion.
  • Modern view of enthymeme
    • The word “expressed” in the above quotation (1.3.7; “expressed” is not in Part 3, para. 5 Online) should be “implied” because, many scholars agree, that an enthymeme is a syllogism with an assumed or implied major or minor premise.
    • For instance,
      Socrates is mortal because he’s human.
  • Syllogism: an argument consisting of a Major Premise, a Minor Premise, and a necessary Conclusion
    • All men are mortal;
      Socrates is a man;
      Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
    • The above is the classic example of a syllogism.

The study of rhetoric and philosophy is quite daunting but highly rewarding. I encourage all of you to delve deeper into rhetoric and philosophy. At a basic level, these fields analyze and contemplate what makes us uniquely human–our ability to think. What else makes us uniquely human?

Rhetoric and Sociology

Someone once claimed that my worldview (although they meant pedagogical and scholarly disposition) was sociological. After trying to explain that all disciplines have a rhetoric, a way of communicating knowledge, it dawned on me that I could argue that all disciplines stem from rhetoric. Now, some scholars critique the idea that all philosophical tradition should read as footnotes to Plato (here’s the direct quotation from Alfred North Whitehead), but, because of the emphasis Western culture places on Classical Rhetoric, it’s safe to say (or, more accurately, argue) that Rhetoric is an interdisciplinary study.

  • What do Plato and Aristotle do when they claim that this or that is believable?
  • By whom is this or that claim believable?

Let’s pause from a wider class discussion and freewrite or note what your community knows or believes. If it helps to think politically, that’s fine. What are some claims that “go without saying,” beliefs that are deeply rooted in social consciousness?

Several Terms to Know

The following list isn’t exhaustive, just introductory. The terms below are major terms for rhetoric:

  • ethos: the presentation of one’s character
  • pathos: appeal to emotions
  • logos: appeal to reason or logic
  • eidos: specific topics
  • idiai: specific proofs
  • koina: commonalities (Kennedy, p. 50)
  • pistis (pisteis, pl): proof
  • telos: objective, end
  • topos: the “place” where a speaker may look for the available means of persuasion.
    Note: in modern usage, topoi has come to mean “commonplaces”

Aristotle on Judicial vs Legislative Practice and Validity

Throughout On Rhetoric (and much of the Ancient Greek works), Aristotle references the courts and democracy. While an explication of jurisprudence is beyond the scope of this class, thinking critically about laws, justice, and “democratic” society are well within our scope. Below are passages that mention the laws and democracy:

  • “…legislation results from consideration over much time, while judgments are made at the moment [of a trial or debate], so it is difficult for the judges to determine justice and benefits fairly.” (1.1.7, Kennedy p. 32; Part 1, para. 3 Online; Chapter 1-[1354b])
  • “A member of a democratic assembly is an example of one judging about future happenings, a juror an example of one judging the past.” (1.3.2, Kennedy p. 48; Part 3, para. 2 Online; Chapter 3-[1358b])
    • “…for all speakers praise and blame things, both reminding [the audience] of the past and projecting the course of the future.” (1.3.4, Kennedy pp. 48-49; Part 3, para. 2 Online; Chapter 3-[1358b, para. 2])
    • Kennedy notes (p. 49, note 81) that Aristotle’s attempt to associate the “three species” with a particular time is problematic.
  • “for example, democracy not only becomes weaker when its [principle of equality is] relaxed so that finally it leads to oligarchy but also if the principle is too rigidly applied.” (1.4.12, Kennedy pp. 55; Part 4, para. 8 Online; Chapter 4-[1360b, para. 8])
  • “2. for all people are persuaded by what is advantageous, and preserving the constitution is advantageous.” (1.8.2, Kennedy p. 73; Part 8, para. 1 Online; Chapter 8-[1366a, para. 1])
  • “Law is either specific [idion] or common [koinon]. I call specific the written law under which people live in a polis and common whatever, though unwritten, seems to be agreed to among all.” (1.10.3, Kennedy p. 84; Part 10, para. 2 Online; Chapter 10-[1368b, para. 2])
    • All citizens…of course.
    • Kennedy distinguishes this with the Anglo-American tradition of common law, “which is the law of precedent and equity established by judicial decisions” (p. 84, note 183).
  • “And [wrongs are greater when committed] in a place where wrongdoers are being punished, which is what perjurers do; for where would they not do wrong if they do it even in the law court?” (1.14.6, Kennedy p. 101; Part 14, para. 1 Online; Chapter 14-[1375a])

Contemporary Enthymeme

I assume we’re in the second half of class by now.

If you followed the political theatre surrounding the 2012 presidential election, you were inundated with rhetorical examples (as you are in all campaigns). Here’s one from Newt Gingrich comparing Barack Obama to Saul Alinsky:

“The centerpiece of this campaign, I believe, is American exceptionalism versus the radicalism of Saul Alinsky.”

Let’s break this down into two parts: 1) American Exceptionalism 2) Saul Alinsky.

1) Essentially, Gingrich is claiming his campaign (Gingrich ran for president in 2012) and, therefore, he himself are proponents of American exceptionalism. The syllogism could look like this:

  • Assumed Major Premise = {The ideal candidate for the presidency is the one who embraces American exceptionalism};
    Minor Premise* = I [Gingrich] embrace American exceptionalism;
    therefore, I [Gingrich] am the ideal candidate for the presidency.
    • I realize this isn’t the exact language Gingrich uses, but it’s implied. Let’s discuss the difference between “implied” and “assumed.”
    • In the above context, “implied” is the not directly stated commitment to American Exceptionalism.
    • In addition, “assumed” is the commitment to American Exceptionalism Gingrich believes we should all have. The Republican Party believes in American Exceptionalism and assumes all (good) Americans do too.
    • By the way, this was an older link to the above reference to “American Exceptionalism” (GOP, “A Dangerous World,” para. 3; “America: The Indispensable Nation,” para. 3)

The Enthymeme could look like this:

  • Gingrich is the ideal candidate because he embraces American exceptionalism.

2) Essentially, Gingrich is claiming Saul Alinsky is a radical, and he was a community organizer. He is attacking Obama for being like Saul Alinsky, emphatically stating Obama’s a radical. The syllogism could look like this:

  • All community organizers are radical;
    President Obama was a community organizer;
    therefore, President Obama is a radical.

The Enthymeme could look like this:

  • President Obama is a radical because he was a community organizer.
  • As Kennedy claims (p. 50), audiences will assume some propositions and, therefore, conclude the way the speaker wants them to conclude.
  • In Gingrich’s case, he’s told his audience Saul Alinsky, a community organizer, was a radical.

Let’s think of some other examples. Notice how syllogisms use absolutes. Aristotle believed in universal truths, but he also recognized probabilities and likely conclusions based on generalities. Let’s think about generalizations for a bit.

Issues about Democracy

Time permitting, let’s consider Aristotle’s discussions on Democracy in Book 1. Here’s a section to take a look at the following passage:

  • “except for the best constitution, all the others are destroyed by loosening or tightening [their basic principles of governance]; for example, democracy not only becomes weaker when its [principle of equality is] relaxed so that finally it leads to oligarchy but also if the principle is too rigidly applied” (1.4.12, Kennedy p. 55)
  • “all constitutions, except the best one of all, are destroyed both by not being pushed far enough and by being pushed too far. Thus, democracy loses its vigour, and finally passes into oligarchy, not only when it is not pushed far enough, but also when it is pushed a great deal too far” (Part 4, para. 8 online).

Let’s consider the pragmatism of this and how a contemporary audience might think about “radical” democracy. Also, what about Aristotle’s point regarding oligarchy?

  • How can democracy be pushed too far?
    • Think about free speech and expression. Also consider mob rule or citizen expectations.
    • For instance, access to clean water is probably a “right” no one will dispute. However, do we have a right to sparkling water?
  • Because Citizens United v. FEC claims corporations are individuals, they have “equal” free speech.
  • Do refugees have a right to the pursuit of happiness? If so, why are they blocked from entering the United States?
    • How far will you get debating the above situation?

A Rhetorical Analysis

Cy Knoblauch’s book Discursive Ideologies will provide us with meaning heuristics for analyzing meaning making, but, for your Mini-Rhetorical Analysis–due in 5 weeks on 3/1–these ancient figures will be sufficient for providing the vocabulary for a rhetorical analysis. Check the Assignments Page for specifics. Tonight (or next week), we can review paragraphs for examples:

  • Finding the Dominant Rhetorical Appeal
  • Rhetoric of Fear
  • Extended Metaphor
  • Breaking: Bad News for Slaughter-Bound Birds
  • If we’re really needing obvious messages for rhetorical analysis:
    • “WHO Guidance: Healthy People Should Wear Masks Only When ‘Taking Care Of’ Coronavirus Patients”
    • “Emerging Pandemic Diseases: How We Got to COVID-19”
    • There article mentions “The Plague of Athens,” which was a precursor to Athens’ defeat by Sparta and their political decline in the Ancient Greek world

Forge Ahead on Books 2 & 3 of On Rhetoric

We may refer back to Book 1 next week, but the main focus will be Books 2 & 3. One reason I feel you should read the primary text and try to follow Aristotle’s arguments with as little “noise” as possible from your own filters is because following his argument prepares you for following the arguments of our later figures. Essentially, you’re training yourself to adopt the author’s way of thinking. I recognize this is difficult.

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