Brendan Wong

My understanding of rhetoric is the use of persuasion, broken down into five cannons.
This consist of invention, arrangement, style, memory and delivery. The five points listed are
important for considering rhetoric being able to use them are very important in rhetorical writing,
speeches, or conversations. My understanding of invention is that it consists of the audience,
evidence, persuasion, timing, and type of topic. Each of these parts are key when making up
invention. Arrangement of how your argument, speech, or paper is arranged is broken down into
the introduction, statement of facts, division, proof, reputation, and conclusion. Style is also
important because you must consider how you present your ideas and choose what is important
to present. When I think of style, I think of font, color, images, headings, logo centric. Memory
is important for having a sense of what you are saying in a speech to make it more memorable
and meaningful to your audience. Finally, when delivering your speech or paper remembering
mechanics, body language, and who you are presenting it to is important to keep in mind. This is
my understanding of rhetoric when it comes to my mind.
In any form of writing applying and incorporating rhetoric is one the most important
things to include. Whether you are writing a research paper, persuasive paper, reflection, or
argument, writing is made up of rhetoric.
Dialogue to me is the flow of speaking back in forth in a group or individual to come to a
shared meaning or conclusion. In order for a dialogue to be effective all previous assumptions
must be suspended. Also everyone must see each other as team members, and there also must be
a facilitator to the dialogue. These are the three key points that come to my mind when I think of
a dialogue.
Prior to coming into this course I didn’t have a strong understanding of rhetoric but saw it
as any means of persuasion. However, we have deeply explored this topic and my knowledge has
broadened significantly. Besides learning about the five cannons of rhetoric, I also learned about
the two types of argumentative structure. Both Toulmin and Rodgers provided me a new tool for
writing persuasive pieces. When writing assignment three, I used Toulmin’s structure to create a
persuasive essay. However, I intentionally chose his structure because my argument did not have
strong opposing views. If I had chosen a topic on something more controversial such as
immigration, I might have chosen a Rogerian structure. Throughout the course I also learned
about the rhetorical triangle. Ethos, pathos, and logos was something I hadn’t had a lot of
exposure to and this course really helped strengthen my knowledge. This will help me expand on
writing and speeches in my future career and academics. I realized how much the three rhetorical
appeals are incorporated into my life and academics. For example, reading news articles and
writing assignment one on murals in Phoenix both strongly exhibit the three rhetorical appeals.
What has contributed most to my overall understanding of rhetoric is class discussion and
lectures. One of the most helpful tools to prepare for class discussions and lectures was the
videos you posted prior to class. This really allowed me to review and become familiar to the
materials before actually hearing you lecture about it. I was able to take notes and key points,
therefore during class they were either reiterated or further expanded on, helping me retain the
material. I also really felt your lectures and discussions were effective. Without them it would be
difficult to clarify certain key points and remembering the material would be more difficult. The
readings also helped me give a sense of the direction of lectures. Sometimes the readings
passages were more challenging than others but this provided a strong background for the
material to be gone over in class. Finally, I found the writing assignments very helpful. For
example, the first writing assignment was about the 3 rhetorical appeals. In the mural I chose I
talked about logos and how the painter made a logical argument. I also mentioned how the
emotional appeal captured the attention and meaning of the piece. Another appeal I mentioned
was credibility of the painter’s mural. By assigning this writing assignment not only did it allow
us to expand and test our understanding of the rhetorical appeals, but also apply rhetoric to the
world around us. Not only was this an extremely fun assignment but also taught me one of the
many forms of rhetoric surrounding us in our daily lives.
My current understanding of rhetoric is still very basic. I know I am just breaking the
surface of the ice. There is still so much more to learn and I have only been exposed to just the
tip. Right now I have a basic foundation of rhetoric. Since we discussed dialogue, persuasive
rhetoric structure, rhetorical appeals, and the 5 cannons, this is just building the basic knowledge
of rhetoric. While I am not completely familiar with the specifics to be learned I do know there is
still much to be explored.
My understanding of rhetoric may be applied to other writing situations in many of my
future classes. For example, if I am doing any type of writing I will be incorporating the
information I know about rhetoric to make my writing more appealing and persuasive. No matter
what subject I doing, even a lab report for example I would be using rhetoric. Besides writing, I
will also be using rhetoric if I ever were to do a presentation or discussion in a group. Another
example outside of the classroom would be in Undergraduate Student Government. As a senator,
being able to convince other senators to support a piece of legislation or amendment to a bylaw,
the use of rhetoric would be important. There are many other examples relating to extracurricular
activities but also social situations. Even having a dialogue or debate with a friend, using rhetoric
is important.