Tuesday, May 28, 2013
COM 250 / Week 9 Discussion: What Exactly Is Rhetoric?
So, tell me what is exactly rhetoric. Our textbook considers it as a form of energy the drives and is imparted to communication, and argues that all communication carries some rhetorical energy. So, what exactly is that "energy"? Have you ever experienced that rhetorical energy which make your blood boiling? I think of Martin Luther King Jr., JFK, and Lenin. Those people have profoundly changed the world with their rhetorical energy. But again, what is exactly that mystical energy?
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I believe true rhetorical energy or "power" stems from passion (or the illusion of passion) for an idea. This believed sincerity of a speaker can persuade the masses toward an ideal or thought. Simultaneously, this power comes directly from the speaker or group of speakers and grows exponentially due to synergy. This energy grows because people start discussing it, thinking about it, and seeing it in media. Regardless of the actual expansion of this idea, it can become "larger-then-life". This is the place leaders, corporations, and actors search for. If they can make their ideals or simply their face known to the majority, they can cause change. To cause change is a form of power and this change often comes in the form of economics, policy, fashion, and a number of other behaviors across all demographics.
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