Studying Rhetoric Improving Society

Transferring to California State University, Sacramento was the most optimal decision that I have made recently this year and so far, it has been an enjoyable yet compelling one because of the helpful environment around me. Compared to the other two colleges I attended in the past in Stockton, California, I believe Sacramento State University has better resources and opportunities to grow as a student. Some of the resources I have utilized here are the Writing Center and PARC, but I plan to branch out and explore many others I have heard about. Although my major is Mechanical Engineering, I still have other classes that I am required to take in order graduate in Spring of 2020, such as English 109W for my undergraduate GWAR. Before entering English 109W, my mind was set on just completing the course and getting a good enough grade to move on to my Writing Intensive course, the last English class I would take in college. I thought that my writing skills were above

Imagine discovering the cure for cancer, and then tossing the revolutionary discovery into a blaze of fire. This obliteration has happened to rhetoric, a tool of language that donates life to argument and creates a thriving system of communication for the world. Rhetoric used to be an important aspect of education that could assist students with the teachings of argument and human interaction. Today, rhetoric has become a topic of minimal discussion among ideas that have long since been outdated, and considered archaic to the educational system. In reality, rhetoric exemplifies the human genius and must be taught in schools to further the evolution of human expression.

The 2016 presidential campaign, was wrought with several controversial issues, none more so than the refugee crisis. Throughout the campaign, Donald Trump’s Anti-Muslim rhetoric, appeared to go against the American ideals of protecting religious freedoms. This trend continued into his presidency, he enacted Executive Order 13769 “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”, banning immigrants and refugees from seven predominately Muslim countries. While, the President claims these measures were taken to prevent any future terrorist attacks on the United States, many question if the Order has more to do with instilling a ban on Islam. Yet, with the possibility of terrorists entering the United States, how can we

For the Rhetoric in Response project, I chose to create a restaurant menu for an old western styled diner. I chose to create a restaurant menu to attract people to buy food and also because I prefer visualization over writings. In a restaurant, the menu is an important aspect for advertising the food that is being sold. The pictures and the design of the menu usually determines what the customer will purchase. Whenever I go to a restaurant that I have never been to, I look at the menu to determine what I would like to eat. The professionalism of the menu allows the audience (the customers) to determine the credibility of the menu. With this in mind, I started to look for a design, descriptions, and pictures that will fit together to create a credible, appealing restaurant menu.

As supported by Jay Heinrichs in his book, Thank you For Arguing, rhetoric being a vital skill later in life,. Rhetoric is an important skill because use could become a constant in our lives. A vast array of rhetorical skills can help a student obtain and keep a job once they land in the working world. Therefore, a keen eye and ear for rhetoric can be an invaluable tool in obtaining one’s goals in life.

In “Why Rhetoric Is Important in My Writing” by Elizabeth Jimenez, she describes how rhetoric is powerful in writing and how to use rhetoric effectively. According to Jimenez, “…rhetoric generally means the study and use of persuasive communication (or argument) …” (Jimenez 44), persuading an audience to influence “action” is powerful writing. Using rhetoric effectively means using academic arguments in writing which is a method used to compare views on controversial topics and allows students to persuade the audience of their view by using supporting evidence. Group activities is another method that increases the effectiveness of rhetoric by letting the students collaborate on paper topics and exchange views through academic conversation.

There exists an immeasurable amount of techniques that allow writing to be eloquent. Rhetoric, however, consistently remains one of the most popular techniques due to the influential nature and effectiveness of its steps. Composition can best be analyzed and constructed using rhetoric. It’s essential in rhetoric to follow critical instructions to generate the best writing possible. Rhetoric consists of the need to develop and establish a clear purpose, identify with an audience, build a clear context, and develop a strategy to lay out ideas. With these situations in hand, a composer can efficiently use rhetorical analysis to better understand readings and improve writing.

We can only do as much, or as well, as we know to do; and if that does not work, then one must ask: What am I to do? That is an excellent question, for it holds value for those who are willing and able to reveal its answer. The value of a well-formed question is found in the answer that it holds; that is, if by raising that question, we are able to behold the answer within it. Although I consider philosophical, theological, and rhetorical questions to be valuable when seeking insight and understanding, these are questions that are not meant to illicit a response, and therefore, they have no practical value. The only value of such questions is that they leave us open to other questions which may hold the answer. For example, when wondering

In this paper I am going to be explaining what I learned in Rhetoric this term such as I was never a very good speaker or presenter and now I feel like I am a natural at this and very comfortable giving speeches now. Also we were given a book to read this term called Fresh Fruit Broken Bodies a book about migrant workers that I will be writing a review of that book and stating a certain controversy that ties into this book that we read and help to give my audience a better understanding of what I covered from reading this book. Another thing I have to do is give my stance on a controversial issue that coincides with the book.

Before starting this class, I never understood what rhetoric was or how it affected me in my everyday life. Over the past week, I have started to grasp the concept of exactly what is rhetoric and I have made my own definition for it. To me rhetoric is the act of persuading a person or a group of people in something or to do something. When I first thought about rhetoric I immediately began to think about politicians and the upcoming elections. Politicians use rhetoric all the time especially when they are out doing campaign rallies in hopes of trying to gain votes. They have to use rhetoric in order to persuade voters to believe in them and want them as their senator, congressman, mayor, and etc. Besides politicians and political world, I could not think of other ways rhetoric affected me in my life at all until I began to think about people in the workplace.

Rhetoric should be taught in schools because rhetoric can be used to achieve personal goals, knowing how to identify false rhetoric can help students identify false logic in arguments and students can be disadvantaged to being more prone to use false rhetoric in debate.

Rhetoric is about using language to get one’s point across in the most effective way. Key goals of professional writing include exhibiting positive action and stimulating better relations between people; personally and professionally. Persuading one’s audience to bring about a positive change is a crucial goal of professional writing, as well as rhetoric. Rhetoric and professional writing should not just be taken as words, but one’s writing should make a progressive difference and bring about a positive change, which reminds me of the saying “actions speak louder

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.

It is more beneficial if you are aware of when you’re using it because it makes it easier for you to employ. The easier it is for you to employ rhetoric, the easier it is for you to transform your writings into better ones. The familiarization of rhetoric is one of the single most important skills for a writer to effectively communicate their purpose to their audience and successfully write in different styles, or genres.

“…we need to learn to write what is true and what needs saying even if the whole world is scandalized. We need to find in ourselves eventually the support which – perhaps for a long time – we must seek openly from others.” According to Elbow, our writing must depict sincerity and honesty, a reflection of who we really are. We must not hide facts, however much the world may be ready to receive what is false. Our writing must show things exactly as they are.