Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric

Authors Foss, Foss and Trapp, the authors of ‘ Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric ‘ define rhetoric, they state “ , it is an art and a discipline that facilitates our understanding of the nature and function of symbols in our lives. How we perceive, what we know, what we experience, and how we act are the results of our own symbol use and that of those around us; rhetoric is the term that captures all of these processes “(1). This is a stimulating, broad and almost endlessly interpretational definition provided by the authors. So…I kept reading.

The reading states that the art of rhetoric originated in the West with Corax of Syracuse, dealing with political land disputes the time. Corax implied that probability could be argued on either side of a duspute, and that effective speech would consist of an introduction, proof and then conclusion. The sophists of the time, at first thought to embody wisdom, were not accepted in Greece. The Sophist’s inclination to teach their wisdom relied on a belief that “ , truth and reality do not exist prior to language but are creations of it “(6). This in my opinion could be considered indiscriminate of ethnicity or social class being that the Sophist’s believed the art of rhetoric could be taught. However, by charging for their services, can’t help to remind me of modern day lawyers, who for the right price will provide a court of law with both truth and reality.

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It seemed that a second trend of rhetoric in the renaissance, concerning to speech and poetry, focused only on style and delivery. Rationalists of the time such as Ramus conceited that all logic be dictated by invention and organization and perhaps with less of the abstract and analytical reasoning of rhetoric. It seems culture can go through cycles of abstract fantastic thought, but when countered by strong idealism in science, societies of thinkers are able to coddle technological advancement. I believe organization and science compliment artistic endeavors and theories, and that this breads tolerance and appreciation on both sides. In this way we are creating more inricate layers and symbols to the rhetoric in our everyday lives.

Works Cited


Foss, Sonja, Karen Foss, and Robert Trapp. Contemporary Perspective on Rhetoric. 3rd ed. Carol Rowe and Neil Rowe, 1-15. Print.

DEFINITIONS

Aristotle: Rhetoric is "the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion ".
 
Francis Bacon: Rhetoric is the application of reason to imagination "for the better

moving of the will."

works cited
stanford.edu. 25 Aug 2010
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/english/courses/sites/lunsford/pages/defs.htm