"Rhetoric is the study of effective speaking
and writing. It is the art of persuasion". n.d -(Dr. Gideon Burton). The
definition provided above is something I can completely agree on in terms of
rhetoric being an art of persuasion. With the practice in our speaking and
writing functions we are able to use them as tools to provide great explanation
in convincing our audience. Rhetoric writing dates back to thousands of years
in its long vigorous history. From the Greeks, the Romans, Medieval times and
even the Renaissance. Its art in persuasion is compared to something so
valuable and rich in beauty that has been used by almost every human around the
world. In the website provided by Dr. Burton, rhetoric research is used in a
metaphor compared to a forest. With rhetoric research providing various options
with styles in writing one can easily find what they are looking for. And if
someone is troubled or confused then you can be easily lost.
In the beginning, I had no idea what Rhetoric
research was. I never knew what it meant or what it teaches. I believe my problem
when it came to writing were my thoughts. It was always an issue to me to be
able to persuade people when arguing with them. Which is the reason I chose to
take this class. I am slowly beginning to process the true definition of
rhetoric and it’s values in what it does to making you become a truly better
writer.
The website provides a lot of information on
rhetoric research. Although rhetoric has had many definitions throughout time. The most important thing that caught my attention was its
primary goal to teach and help students become dependent in
applying their own resources of language into their own speaking and writing
abilities. This here is the definition of what Dr. Burton calls “Rhetorical
pedagogy”. It is also very helpful in the definitions of Logos, Pathos and
Ethos. Dr. Burton provides an example for each of these. I recall learning
these definitions in high school but the website allowed me to refresh my
memory in a very basic and easy way. For instance, Logos, he provides an
example from Descartes: “I think therefore I am”. n.d We know that Descartes
equates pure rationality and pure being. Although later Pascal claimed that are
being has as much to do with feeling than thinking.
Something
I found confusing was all the sections the website splits into. Although the
information provided was something basic and easy to interpret, I found it
quite difficult to get back to a page I was looking for after I exited out of
it.
Overall, Dr. Burton did an
astonishing job in providing a website with plenty of information on rhetoric research and helps teach experienced and inexperienced
writers about rhetoric research and the necessities needed in order to become a
better writer. I strongly urge everyone to take a small tutorial on the website
if you’re looking to becoming a better speaker and writer in rhetoric research.
Here is the website provided:http://rhetoric.byu.edu
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