Abstract
This paper is a wiki page entry on rhetorical theory and concept. The introduction provides the definition of the concept rhetoric by two scholars - Aristotle and Kenneth Burke. According to the scholars, rhetoric is an art of communicating effectively by persuading the audience. Aristotle, the proponent of the concept, highlights three important elements that should be present for rhetoric. These elements are identified as ethos, logos, and Pathos. The entry further presents the history of the concept by looking at the different views of the concept of the ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. The paper concludes this section on the history by providing the present day definition of rhetoric and by providing a brief discussion on the rhetorical theory by Burke. Burke disputes Aristotle view on rhetoric and posits that rhetoric has to it more dimensions than the political dimension stated by Aristotle. According to Burke theory, rhetoric is the act through which the orator tries to make the content of his speech more relevant to the audience. The last section focuses on the applicability of the concept in both the ancient and the contemporary society. Rhetoric in the early society was mainly perceived important in the field of politics and law with some ancient leaders such as Cicero being identified as some of the people that mainly applied the concept in their speech. The paper posits that the concept in the current society plays a major role in communication, inspiring, persuading and entertaining people.
Definition of Rhetoric
Aristotle who is believed to be the proponent of the concept of rhetoric defined it as a tool that be used to gain information and to persuade others if the speaker knows how to use rhetoric. In ancient Aristotle posited that in order for rhetoric to be present, three elements known as rhetoric appeals have to be present, that is; ethos, pathos and logos (George, 2008). Ethos basically connotes the perception that the audience has towards the rhetor for instance, whether the rhetor is an authority is the area he or she is presenting. On the other hand, pathos connotes the use of emotional appeals by rhetor to persuade the audience while logos imply the use of arguments which seem logical as a way of persuading the audience. The speaker, the speech and the listener also had to be present.
Kenneth Burke defines rhetoric as the art of using words by human beings to create certain feelings which can be positive or negative (attitudes) or as a means of inducing action in other human beings. Essentially, Burke describes rhetoric as a powerful tool that can be utilized to encourage people to act in a certain way. He believes that Rhetoric and persuasion are analogous terms which can be used interchangeably. According to Herrick (2001), rhetoric is defined as the study and utility of communication styles that persuades, that inspires, entertains and informs the intended audience. The essence of rhetoric according to Herrick is to foster change and in some cases to reinforce the habits, values and beliefs of the people
History of Rhetoric
Rhetoric Theory can be traced back to ancient philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. In ancient Greek Philosophy, rhetoric was considered a critical aspect in professions such as the law and politics.It is Aristotlewho is believed to have coined the concept.Contemporarily, rhetoric is perceived as an art of persuasion and the study of the impact of what we say or write. It developed from the realization that there was some form of persuasion that was inherently interwoven in the use of language.The theory developed upon the realization that there is a form of change that can be induced in the listener if language can be used in a certain way(Lundberg, 2013).
Though Aristotle described rhetoric as being a counterpart of politics and logic, Burke postulates that rhetoric cannot be circumscribed to the politics, the law and scientific spheres alone. Burke posits that Rhetoric should also have a social dimension. Burke refines rhetoric further by categorizing it into old rhetoric (platonic rhetoric) and new rhetoric. In old rhetoric which was the one espoused by earlier thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Socrates and Cicero, the orator was bound to persuade the audience by whatever means necessary (Herrick, 2001). However, in the new rhetoric theory that is advanced with Burke, persuasion is achieved through a process known as identification.
Burke defines identification as the process through which the orator tries to make the content of his speech more relevant to the audience. This is achieved by the orator associating with the audience in such a way that the audience can be able to forge some form of connectedness with the speaker. Burke posits that once identification has been achieved, it is easier to create a lasting impression among the listeners. To Burke, one way of ensuring that the identification process becomes more effective is through the inclusion of logos and pathos in the argument. That is to say that, logical arguments have to be advanced which appeal to the emotional aspect of the target audience.
Application of Rhetoric
Burke believes that the use of rhetoric has a significant impact on communication. This is partly because rhetoric makes communication to be more aesthetic and it ameliorates social competence. As a result, he believes that the circumscription of rhetoric to politics, the law and scientific interrogation is a misconstrued approach to understanding the critical art of rhetoric.
In ancient times, rhetoric was a critical aspect of communication for those who were in the field of politics and the law. There was an inherent belief that, in order to one to make a good politician, they needed to be able to impress the potential voters. Cicero was an example of a prominent historical figure that used the rhetoric art effectively to his advantage. Cicero was both a lawyer and politician in ancient Rome.
In endearing to discern the applicability of rhetoric in our contemporary society, Golden et al (2007) posits that though rhetoric has been criticized overly as being manipulative, as an art of communication, it is still considered beneficial and worth studying. Currently, rhetoric is used in communication to bring out deeper meaning and understanding. Rhetoric helps a person to become a better communicator especially when dealing with a certain audience. For example, lawyers and politicians who have mastered the art of rhetoric have been ascended to power with ease the best example being the incumbent US president Barrack Obama.
Further, rhetoric is still a relevant art and tool when it comes to persuasion, giving inspiration, entertaining and giving insight and information to the intended audience (Herrick, 2001). The author further opines that the essence of rhetoric according to trigger and foster the element of change in the target audiences. This is especially true if the audience has received new insight that is so inspiring. In some instances, rhetoric becomes a critical tool that works to reinforce the habits, values, actions and believes that people may have held dogmatically.
References
George, H.W. (2008). Ethos, Pathos, Logos. The Three Logical Appeals.
Retrieved from: http://georgehwilliams.pbworks.com/w/page/14266873/Ethos-Pathos-Logos-The-3-Rhetorical-Appeals
Golden, J. L., Goodwin, B.F., Coleman, E.W., Golden, R. & Michael, S.J. (2007). The rhetoric
of Western thought: From the Mediterranean world to the global setting, 9th ed.
Dubuque, IA.
Herrick, E.J. (2001). The Theory and History of Rhetoric. Allyn and Bacon Publishers.
Lundberg, C.O. (2013). Letting Rhetoric Be: On Rhetoric and Rhetoricity. Journal of Philosophy
and Rhetoric, 46(2) 2013, 247-255 .Retrieved from:
http://muse.jhu.edu/results?searchtype=regular&search_term=rhetoric&filtered_content=cont
ent&x=13&y=10
