During the 4th century B.C., Aristotle wrote the Rhetoric in which he defined rhetoric as discovering all available means of persuasion on a topic. Thus, for Aristotle, rhetoric has a clear persuasive function, but also an epistemic function: it serves as a way to discover what is known and what can be known about a subject. Every time we use language--in speech or in writing--we engage in a rhetorical act. Another way of expressing this idea would be to say that all communication is rhetorical. Something has motivated us to engage in the act of communicating with an audience. We have an intention, a goal we hope to achieve. The situation that motivates us is called a rhetorical exigence. All of us engage others rhetorically every time we use language. In fact, a useful modern definition of rhetoric is simply the intentional use of language to influence an audience.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 21:24:24 +0000
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