The main threshold concept of the first project in the unit that I’m studying has to do with “rhetoric.” I suppose understanding what “rhetoric” is can be helpful. “Rhetoric” basically entails why a person writes something and what all is included into how they formulate their written work (e.g. what kind of person their writing to, whether their writing a formal letter or an informal letter to a friend, short or long, personal or non-personal, etc). I think “rhetoric” is actually anything that has to do with writing and has an influence on how and what you write. Before taking this course, I never put much thought into this concept. I never even looked up the word “rhetoric” in a dictionary, even though I did blogging from time to time and people enjoyed my writing.
Based on what I have learned about “rhetoric,” I don’t think we would be able to get away from the concept of it. The whyand howwe write part of “rhetoric” always influence our writing whether we think of it or not. It’s a reality that we often take in subconsciously. Our why’sand how’sare influenced by prier or current circumstances that are or aren’t directly related to what we are writing about.
On page 482 in the book Writing about Writing, the question is asked, “What are warrants and why are they important to rhetorical interaction?” It may be helpful to give a little scenario. Perhaps you are chit-chatting with your best friend on the phone, and they ask you what you are going to do this afternoon. You tell them, “I think I’ll go harvest the tomatoes and lettuce in my garden because it’s going to frost tonight.” A warrantis a boundary behind the reason why you decided to go harvest your tomatoes and lettuce that is not mentioned but would be understood by your audience. Frost will kill your tomato and lettuce plants. Frost is very cold. Your best friend, in this scenario, would likely understand this. Since he or she would understand this information, it wouldn’t be necessary to mention it. They are using “common sense” as they interpret what you told them. Warrantsare important for rhetorical interaction because they help save the writer or speaker a lot of time in not having to say all the details that are commonly understood. (This is similar to a scenario in the section in Writing about Writingby Doug Downs on page 473 about warrants).
I think the concept of “rhetoric” is one that a Christian can do well to make good practice of in their life. It is good for us to take into consideration who or what kind of person or people we are talking to in informal and formal circumstances. When presenting what we believe is truth, for example, to a non-believer, we should be careful and tactful in how we approach them and how we present the subject. Also, as Christians, it is wise to consider why we are going to talk about a particular subject before we bring it up. We can have a huge impact upon our audience for the positive or negative by our words or message that we convey.
The aspect of this lesson that I, perhaps, have had the most trouble understanding about is the valuesin “rhetoric” writing that were mentioned (e.g. values of learning, values of rationality, values of intelligence, values of correctness, values of trust, etc.). I’m really not sure what they mean. I think I’m confused, but it seems like they are like categories that you could put different writings under.
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I hope that those who have read this post, will not only enjoyed it, but will be understanding towards any misunderstanding I may have in regard to “rhetoric.” I wouldn’t mind if you comment to help me understand my lesson better.
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