Rhetorical Analysis Of Backpacks

Rhetoric is a course in which students are taught the values of persuasion. And yet, behind this course is the utmost power to corrupt the world, changing it into a world of our own policies. This power, even though seldom discussed, has lead to many intriguing discoveries. One such discovery is how people are able to shape the world they live in simply by choosing the right words. Therefore those who would want the world to be a better place must protect this power. If in the wrong hands this power could cause serious damage. Several authors have striven to protect rhetoric and its power. Few agree on the matter of defining rhetoric, but they know that they must protect rhetoric from dark souls. A single definition of rhetoric must maintain a simplistic nature while incorporating every aspect of rhetoric. However, I argue that rhetoric is a means of persuading audiences of a situation and a particular reality through language and personal appeal. In order to prove this definition I will discuss how rhetoric creates a situation, the shaping of a different reality, the audience, the use of language, and the personal appeal. Finally, I will demonstrate the absolute need for rhetoric.

“The Rhetorical Situation” by Lloyd Bitzer discusses what a rhetorical situation includes for a situation to be identified as a rhetorical situation. Bitzer states that a rhetorical situation occurs when an issue has the possibility of being changed in a positive way. Bitzer discusses that a rhetorical situation must include rhetorical exigence, audience, and constraints. Rhetorical exigences must be receptive of positive change and can only be changed through discourse. Bitzer explains that discourse is a type of social practice or a way of thinking.

In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs;

The rhetorical situation helps the audience understand all aspects of which the rhetor writes. When an audience understands the rhetorical situation, they are able to make a judgment on whether they believe the author to be credible or not, or their writing to be effective or not. Mary Crow Dog and Maya Angelou are both effective rhetors because their rhetorical situations work together to make their essays compelling. “Civilize Them with a Stick” by Mary Crow Dog and “Graduation” by Maya Angelou each introduce effective rhetorical situations as they establish their individual identity through their educational experiences.

*All the works below for the exam are done independently. No cooperation or discussion with anybody else.

Over the summer, we were asked to write a rhetorical analysis essay. I vividly remember reading the prompt and having no idea what to do. At the time, I had only a limited understanding of the words ethos, pathos, and logos, but somehow I managed to write a three page essay on the rhetoric of Cesar Chavez’s article. When we got back from summer vacation, we learned more about how to write a rhetorical analysis. We learned about SOAPStone, which stands for speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone. I applied my knowledge of SOAPStone to analyzing “Two Ways of Seeing a River” and “To My Old Master”. Through SOAPStone, I was able to easily develop an introduction to my rhetorical analysis essays. Next up was learning how to identify rhetorical devices. Through reading Robert F. Kennedy’s

In Grant Davie’s “Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents,” he stresses the importance of both the rhetoric and the audience in various situations.

Rhetoric Review is an academic interdisciplinary journal of rhetoric. The journal issues in all areas of rhetoric and writing, and delivers a professional debate for its readers to reflect and discuss the topics and issues. The journal issues texts that investigate the extent and complexity of the discipline. We can conclude from the information that Porter’s main audience were college students mainly in writing classes. Porter’s motive could be helping college students by claiming that once the author knows how to write for a particular audience, they will be more likely to become a successful writer. Porter talks about how students should learn to write for a discourse community instead of writing to

In reference to the 100A assignment sheet for the rhetorical analysis, a rhetorical analysis is a written work that focuses on analyzing and understanding a published article. In this assignment, students will get opportunities to develop their writing and improve deep analytic skills to identifying rhetorical strategies that writers will use to achieve the purpose of a well-written document. The audience for this analytical paper will be my classmates, professor, and the committee members of the 100A.

In reference to the 100A assignment sheet for the rhetorical analysis, a rhetorical analysis is a written work that focuses on analyzing and understanding a published article. In this assignment, students will get opportunities to develop their writing and improve deep analytic skills to identifying rhetorical strategies that writers will use to achieve the purpose of a well-written document. The audience for this analytical paper will be my classmates, professor, and the committee members of the 100A.

Rhetoric can be found almost everywhere in life, and is an important part of people’s interactions with each other. Specifically rhetoric has value in career settings and being able to make a sound argument can be especially important when dealing with employers and clients. Building a relationship with a boss is especially important, which Jay Heinrichs discusses in his book, Thank You for Arguing. Heinrichs recalls a job interview, and how one othe the

The first chapter introduced the reader to the art of rhetoric. He describes how rhetoric works through real life examples. He demonstrates ways that rhetoric persuades us like, argument from strength, and seduction. He tells the reader that the sole purpose of arguing is to persuade the audience. He showed that the chief purpose of arguing is to also achieve consensus, a shared faith in a choice.

Rhetoric falls into three divisions, determined by the three classes of listeners to speeches. For of the three elements in speech-making--speaker, subject, and person addressed--it is the last one, the hearer, that determines the speech’s end and object. (Rhetoric)

Rhetoric is a significant part of our everyday lives. Whether it's convincing our friends to go to a concert on the weekend, to go to a certain place for lunch, or even convincing yourself to do something that you should but don't want to do. Rhetoric is all around us today. Billboard ads, television commercials, newspaper ads, political speeches, even news stories all try, to some degree, to sway our opinion or convince us to take some sort of action. If you take a step back to look and think about it, rhetoric, in all actuality, shapes our lives. Every day we have an array of options of things to do or things to buy. So every day, our opinion or actions are being influenced, however minutely, by rhetoric.

In the view of Lloyd Blitzer, he explains what makes situations rhetorical that is identical to a “moral act”. His definition of a moral act is when you act or preform by any situation. He shows examples of different types of rhetorical analysis that happened in the past. Blitzer states that a rhetorical analysis is a change in reality. Therefore, he is saying that it is an action or new information that is to be addressed or known. He states that rhetorical analysis should be followed by a rhetorical method. Blitzer mentioned that there are three main components when writing a rhetorical analysis. One component to look for is referred to as exigence. Exigence is the reason you are proving something. Audience is the part of a rhetorical analysis that involves people that you are trying to get to understand your situation. Lloyd stated that everyone is being capable by the change of speech. From my perspective, Blitzer’s rhetorical audience consists only of people who are more likely influenced by discourse and have the possibility of becoming mediators of change. The final component is constraint. Constraint deals with limitation and restrictions in a rhetorical analysis. Charleston Hope provides a great opportunity to become involved and assist with its mission throughout the community.