MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO RHETORIC

By the end of this module, you will be able to do the following:

 Define the term "rhetoric."

 Articulate the importance of effective communication.
 Summarize the history of rhetorical study, from the ancient Greeks to the
modern day.
 Identify the parts of a discourse.
 Define the three modes of appeal.
 Identify tropes and schemes, and explain their use in composition.
 Choose a topic and brainstorm ideas for the op-ed assignment.

In this course, you will examine speeches by prominent twentieth-century
Americans that highlight the elements and practice of rhetoric. A look at the
most successful speeches and pieces of writing in history will show that behind
their polished prose, elegant logic, and smooth delivery lies a highly developed
craft of composition and a labor of careful revision.

Part I. What is Rhetoric? |ˈretərɪk|

Some documents and speeches seem to capture the imagination of a nation or a

culture. Their phrases are oft-repeated, their logic invoked by entire political
coalitions or social movements. You have almost certainly heard President
Kennedy’s famous phrase, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what
you can do for your country.” If you went to an American high school, you may
have had to memorize Abraham Lincoln’s vow at Gettysburg that “government
of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”; and
if you have paid attention to U.S. politics in the late 2010s, you certainly have
heard the political mantra, “Make America great again,” though you may not
know the 1980 Ronald Reagan speech it comes from.

Why were these acts of oratory so powerful? Can we explain what made them
so effective? And how can we improve our own writing and speaking so that it
will influence the people who read or hear it?

For more than two millennia, thinkers and writers have attempted to answer
these questions. Their ideas and their concrete suggestions have come to make
up what the ancient Greeks called “ritorikí”: the study of rhetoric, or what we
might call the art of argument.

The Power of Persuasion

These days, rhetoric gets a bad name—we often hear phrases like, “that’s just
rhetoric,” “left-wing rhetoric,” or “right-wing rhetoric.” Many dismiss rhetoric
as empty and meaningless, or useful only to scholars and politicians.

As we have seen, rhetoric can be any kind of persuasive writing or speech. Its
use is not confined to law or politics. In fact, in the age of mass media,
persuasive messages surround us. The study of rhetoric allows us to both make
and interpret arguments. Far from meaningless or merely academic, rhetoric has
a real effect on people’s behavior. Words move us to action. They drive our
decisions—from what to buy to whom to elect, to whether or not to go to war.

Persuasive speech is all around us - in newspaper articles, advertisements,

fundraising appeals, and more. Social-media sites like Facebook and Twitter are
now common forums for people to express and defend their opinions.

TASK 1. Choose a piece of writing or speech meant to be persuasive

(whether or not you agree with the author’s opinion). Answer the following
questions:

 What is it that the author wants you to believe or do? How do you know?

 What evidence does the author use to support his or her opinion?

 What type of language does he or she use for emphasis or description?

The examples are as follows:

Example 1. Hillary Clinton – “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights”

https://academyatthelakes.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/
HillaryClintonWomensRightsareHumanRightsExcerpts.pdf
This speech is meant to persuade the reader into seeing a women as a higher
being that what they already view women as, for example, if a anti-feminist
read this, they would either, strongly disagree, or be convinced to have more
sympathy for women...or perhaps have a opinion that has changed from,
"women are objects" to something less dehumanizing. In my opinion, the
speech was targeted to people who don't think women are any better than their
pet, or even their shoe. The speech was suppose to be empowering for women,
making others have this new view on women, and the rights they deserve, but in
general it was seeming to be, somewhat, targeted to people whom are against
women having equal rights to males.

Example 2. "We shall fight on the beaches"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTw3_PmKtc

https://www.parkwayschools.net/cms/lib/MO01931486/Centricity/Domain/
1578/Churchill_Beaches_Speech.pdf

This famous speech from W. Churchill was said to motivate the English
population to make front to the biggest threat for U.K., Europe and freedom at
that moment. He asks the population to fight whatever the condition and the
place is, and even in the worst of the cases he gives hope through an alternative
and final solution (overseas British Empire). This can be considered as the
evidence that the enemy is never going to win, and whatever is the result of
each individual fight, it will contribute and it will be worth doing it. He use an
English root language except for the word "surrender". His tone is firm and his
words sounds decided, without place to the doubt, without place to the loss.

Example 3. Oprah Winfrey – Stand Up For Yourself And Lead Your Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRYJJnwehWE

This is a recorded speech of Oprah Winfrey, probably one of the best out there.
She asks people to stand for their selves and lead their own lives.