According to the Webster-Merriam dictionary, the full definition of rhetoric is the

following:
1: the art of speaking or writing effectively:
a : the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of
ancient times
b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or
persuasion
2

a : skill in the effective use of speech

b : a type or mode of language or speech

3: verbal communication : discourse

Rhetoric is used in everything from political speeches, to commercial
advertisements, to religious sermons. If you look up examples on the internet, you will
often find the word rhetoric tagged under broadcasting, communication, and
propaganda.
It was developed in the classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th
century BC to teach the art of public speaking to Greek citizens and was then adapted
for the children of the wealthy in the Roman Empire.
Today, a more modern form of rhetoric has become a common form of
communication for authors and speakers. Many strategies, such as language, style,
logic (logos), credibility (ethos), voice, purpose, evidence, organization, emotion
(pathos), and tone are used to emphasize the point of view of the author or speaker, to
communicate, as well as engage with the reader or listener. In order to effectively

persuade, the author or speaker must win over the heart, mind, and soul of their
audience to be most successful, just as in the days of of the ancient Greeks.
In Nick Carrs article, Is Google Making Us Stupid, the author uses many of
these same strategies to examine the changing landscape of technology and its effect
on the average person. He engages the reader through a mixture of storytelling and
personal experience to make the purpose of his article more clear, language and style
to make his point of view, and research facts and statistics to lend credibility. Credibility,
purpose, and language are the key strategies that Nick Carr uses to build a relationship
between the text, audience, and himself.
In the beginning of the article, Nick Carr references Stanley Kubricks 2001: A
Space Odyssey, engaging the audience with a poignant story of HAL, the computer.
Throughout, subtle references captivate the audience, as you can feel how Nick Carr
feels as he ends the article with his own personal feelings about the death of HAL,
referencing the similar death, figuratively, of human intelligence. With his comparison
between the two, the reader becomes more wholly involved with the sentiment of Nick
Carrs portrayal of losing someone or something, whether its a fictional computer from a
movie or our ability to think. As an insightful writer, Nick Carr immerses the audience
into questioning their own feelings and forcing them to think about their own personal
view of technology, communication, and how people have changed the way in which
they think. By quoting HAL at the end of the first paragraph, Dave, my mind is going, I
can feel it. I can feel it., Nick Carr than is able to easily lead the reader into his own
personal experiences. He says, I can feel it, too. Over the past few years Ive had an
uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain,

remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory. Throughout, the reader is
able to apply their own experiences, to compare with Nick Carrs, in order to more fully
understand his point of view. He manages to timeline how his way of reading, thinking,
and understanding has changed over the past decade as technology has become more
prevalent in his life. He utilizes conversations with fellow academics to back up his own
experiences, Im not the only one. When I mention my troubles with reading to friends
and acquaintances--literary types, most of them--many say theyre having similar
experiences. Overall, through his own experiences, as well as the experiences of
others, he is able to make the purpose of the article clear, to educate the reader on the
effects of technology.
In order to lend credibility to his article, Nick Carr references scientific research
and psychological studies, as well as quoting leading researchers. After informing the
reader of the research done at the University College London, he fortifies the findings
with quotes from leading academics, such as psychologists, sociologists, scientists, and
historians. Nick Carr uses the example of Friedrich Nietzsche to bolster the research by
explaining how one technology changed the way Neitzsche thought and spoke, just as
the internet and newer technologies are changing the way people do today. He tells the
reader, the process of adapting to new intellectual technologies is reflected in the
changing metaphors we use to explain ourselves to ourselves. When the mechanical
clock arrived, people began thinking of their brains as operating like clockwork. Today,
in the age of software, we have come to think of them as operating like computers. But
the changes neuroscience tells us, go much deeper than metaphor. He makes direct

comparisons between scientific research by giving examples, historical facts, and

information that is relevant, in order to strengthen his point of view.
As well as using the strategies of credibility and purpose, Nick Carr uses
language and style to enhance the rhetoric of his article. He is able to write in a way that
is simplistic enough for the average person to understand the information. He does not
use an overly extensive vocabulary and he uses examples that most people can easily
identify with, such as Google. Even as he describes the scientific evidence behind his
point of view, he does so in a way that makes it very understandable to the audience,
without talking down to the reader. He uses very identifiable resources and examples
as well, such as Frederick Neitzsche, the Gutenberg press, and Stanley Kubricks 2001:
A Space Odyssey and then builds on those premises in more depth with facts that
would not be as well known, such as british mathematician Alan Turing and the
stopwatch experiments of Frederick Winslow Taylor. He is able to make his article flow
very well, in an almost circular pattern, in order to bring his audience with him, from
beginning to end, to his point of view. By using his reference from 2001: A Space
Odyssey to start his article, Nick Carr leads the audience on a journey that will make
them question for themselves, given all his insights throughout, whether his fears about
technology are relevant as he ends the article with his feelings about 2001: A Space
Odyssey. He fully encompasses his point of view with his end thoughts on the movie,
thats the essence of Kubricks dark prophecy: as we come to rely on computers to
mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into
artificial intelligence.

In overview, Nick Carrs article is one of the best examples of rhetoric. He

engages the audience with a thought provoking piece that makes the reader want to
learn more through his use of credibility, purpose, and language. With the use of those
key strategies, he is able to give a point of view that is easily understood. In the end, he
has done his best to win over the hearts, souls, and minds of the audience.