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Esther Valverde

ENC 3331
Rhetorical Citizenship

Are you a Citizen?


Before figuring out if a person is a rhetorical citizen or not, we must first understand the
definition of both citizenship and rhetoric. Defining these terms can be confusing or
controversial, even though there is a legal or permanent definition, people can interpret these
meanings in different ways or they can disagree with the meaning all together. The Civil Rights
Act of 1866 was the first to come up with a legal definition of the word citizen, becoming a part
of the fourteenth amendment right after the Civil War. The first clause of the first section of the
fourteenth amendment states, All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject
to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside
(Library of Congress). This definition is the most basic, and non-critical thinking term for the
word citizenship. I was born in the United States, so by definition I am an American citizen. My
mother was not born in the United States, but she was naturalized by taking a citizenship test, so
by definition, again, she is an American citizen. On the other hand, my father was not born in the
United States, and he did not become naturalized, does that not make him an American citizen,
even though, he has lived in this country for about twenty years and has his residency?
As a society, we cannot accept a definition so simple knowing the fact that there are
undocumented citizen that are in the United States who work just as hard, probably even

harder, as a normal American would. This is where the definition of citizenship gets complex and
controversial because there are American citizens that believe undocumented citizens should
not be allowed to stay in the United States because they did not follow the law in entering
legally. Amy Wan, in her article challenges the way people perceive the legal definition of a
citizen. She believes rhetorical citizenship begins in the classroom, and students have the
opportunity to broaden their horizon in understanding what being a citizen truly means. In In
the Name of Citizenship, Wan provides multiple definitions of citizenship, she even said the
term citizen has not one definition but multiple, citizenship theorists have expanded thinking
about citizenship beyond legal status to understanding citizenship as cultural identity, standing
and status, civic virtue, and everyday habits, and participatory action (Wan 33). Not only are
you a citizen by practicing these everyday activities that are, for the most part, second nature to
someone, but they are also participating in rhetorical activities.

What does it Mean Being Rhetorical?


Like Wan said, part of being a citizen is also being rhetorical by giving some sort of
action to show support of being a citizen. For example, American citizens have the right to vote
for whoever they want for President, Governor, Law, etc. all they have to do is register, and vote
for whatever cause they support. Al though, a person does not have to be a citizen in order for
them to be rhetorical. Stephanie is an undocumented immigrant, who lived almost her entire life
like a normal person; until she turned 18 years old and found out she was illegal. She felt as if
her identity was taken from her because she has no official document that indicates that she is
who she is, she does not qualify for financial aid making going to school more difficult, and
more of a financial burden because she has to pay her whole tuition out of pocket. Living in the

United States as an undocumented person, it means that you have to work harder because you do
not have the privilege or assistance, such as voting or being eligible for financial aid.
Being rhetoric has been around since the era of Plato, where rhetors were highly known
in society, Haas, et als article, Rhetoric, they describe the definition of rhetoric of the different
time periods. The overall summary that they concluded was that Rhetoric is concerned with
how individuals know, create, and invent within the ever shifting and dynamic social, political,
and economic contexts in which they operate (Hass, et al 4548). Going back to Stephanie, she
is standing up, and being proactive with the belief that children of undocumented immigrants
should be granted citizenship. One way rhetorical citizenship was produced was through
Stephanies video. She informs the public that she too is an American because she does
everything a normal citizen would do, go to work, go to school, etc. She is also being active in
the community by promoting positive aspects on this on-going debate this country had with
citizenship for years. Using social media, videos, pictures, or songs can be an easy way to grab
the publics attention if you are trying to spread awareness to some sort of cause, like Stephanie
and granting citizenship to children of undocumented citizens.

Being a Rhetorical Citizen


From all the information that we had just discussed, being a rhetorical citizen goes
beyond a legal definition. Being a rhetorical citizen is having good character towards other
people, being proud and having respect towards America and in my opinion the most important
one, voice your opinion because we live in a country where we have the right to express
whatever it is we feel. If we do not express our thoughts, then people would not know what is
important in our current society or in your current location. For example, the feminist movement

has been a big topic in todays issues because women have been voicing their opinions on how
we feel we are being treated. Society has listened to what they are saying, and voice their opinion
back, whether people agree or disagree, they are still being active.
Listening and voicing opinions is an important part not only in a community, but also as a
nation. Being punished by the government because of a strong, scandalous opinion, then you are
not part of a democratic society. Being a part of a democratic society, such as America, gives a
leeway to being a rhetorical citizen because in a communist country, it is possible to go to jail or
even shot if attending a protest or any other form of opinionated expression.

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