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Composition important for learning English
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English is an important and required course to take in any level of education. In the past, we all have taken various English courses that have helped us enhance our reading and writing skills. Over the couple of years I have been here at the University of Cincinnati, I have taken English composition classes, which have helped me evolve as a writer. However, after taking this course, my reading and writer skills have enhanced tremendously. With the goals and outcomes set for the class, that allowed students to gain an indication of the level of reading and writing skills will be accomplished. The outcomes entailed knowledge in critical thinking, rhetoric analysis, conventions, electronic environments, and cognitive analysis. In order to determine …show more content…
Among the authors of those passages are Covino, Flower, Haas, and Jolliffe. They explain concepts on a similar topic, but using different aspects of rhetoric. Covino and Jolliffe focuses on the overview of Aristotelian rhetoric appeals along with talking about the elements on rhetoric. They mention, “Aristotle discusses three sorts of textual appeals: to the authority of the rhetor (ethos), to the emotions or “stages of life” of the audience (pathos), and to systems of reasoning (logos) that the rhetor and the audience share”(Covino and Jolliffe 1995). The authors consider the appeals to be a very important part of rhetorical analysis as the appeals are used for means on persuasion. In the article, “What is Rhetoric?” the authors use examples and different components of rhetoric to provide a big picture like a map to help the audience get an idea of what they are trying to …show more content…
Grant-Davie’s article assesses “the elements of rhetorical situations that may help the audience understanding and responding to the rhetoric”(Grant-Davie 1997). In order for the audience to grasp what the author is trying to convey, he provides an example by stating, “When we study history, our first question may be “what happened?” but the more important question, the question whose answer offers hope of learning for the future as well as understanding the past, is “why did it happen?” (Grant-Davie 1997). Through this the author is trying to state that rather than looking from only one perspective, try using different perspectives to gain a more in-depth insight and true meaning of the topic that is being convey. He then talks about the different elements such as exigence, rhetor, audience, and constraints, which are key elements to use to rhetorically analyze a text. Grant-Davie then further talks about all the elements in depth to provide a better understanding to the audience to help them evolve their rhetorical knowledge. Haas and Flower write about “examining reading as a meaning-constructing activity shaped by rhetorical principles”(Haas and Flower 1988). The authors more specifically discuss rhetorical reading strategies with the use of tables, figures, and examples. They also discuss a method to provide “a good way of capturing of what’s going on in peoples heads”, (Haas and Flower 1988) that may
Of Aristotle’s three modes of rhetoric, Audre Lorde’s essay is comprised largely by logos complemented by pathos and the least by ethos. Ethos is obvious when she describes herself in terms of social groups, giving credibility to herself to justify her assertions. In her words, Lorde is a “forty-nine-year-old Black lesbian feminist socialist mother of two, including one boy, and a member of an interracial couple.” She explains at the beginning of her essay that she has been identified as an active member of these socially taboo groups and thus has the right to demand attention to her claims. Logos is seen throughout her essay, often following a bold statement. Her arguments not only consist of reasoning but also personal experiences and real-life occurrences, such as Lorde’s question of the lacking representation of poetry by Back women and the horrifying female circumcision supported by Jomo Kenyatta in Africa. Lorde’s use of logos is very effective because it gives the reader a relatable narrative to better understand her bold conclusions. The third mode of Aristotle’s rhetoric is pathos, which Lorde uses to a slightly lesser degree than logos but just as effectively. Examples of Lorde’s use of pathos are her descriptive language, metaphors and lists.
Haas and Flower created an interesting point when I read “Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning “. In the reading, Haas and Flower, provided multiple propositions to apply, however a key one certainly caught my eye. Haas and Flower proposed various arguments, yet their main idea implied that there needs to be an increase in rhetorical reading. I came to the conclusion that increasing rhetorical reading was their main point due to a statement in the text. “We would like to help extend this constructive, rhetorical view of reading, which we share with others in the field…” [Haas and Flower, 167] the following statement blandly states their intention to spread an important strategy, reading rhetorically, among community.
In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs; rhetorical discourse is given significant presence by the situation; the situation exists as a necessary condition for rhetorical discourse to have effect; a rhetorical situation or event may mature or decay over time; the rhetorical situation invites the use of discourse to alter its reality; the rhetorical response given to the situation is appropriate; and the situation controls the response of the discourse. While Bitzer notes that these are parameters for a situation to qualify as being rhetorical, he further discusses three constituents that are present in any rhetorical situation prior to the presence and manipulation of discourse. (6) Exigence, audience, and constraints are seen to be necessary elements in a rhetorical situation for Bitzer. Exegince, “is an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be undone, a thing which is other than it should be”. (6) An audience whose members may function as mediators of change is required, as rhetoric alw...
“This Course prepares students for reading, research, and writing in college classes by teaching students to consider the rhetorical situation of any piece of writing while integrating reading, research, and writing in the academic genres of analysis and argument. This course is said to teach students to develop analyses and arguments using research-based content with effective organization, and appropriate expression and mechanics”. (1)
Aristotle believed that rhetoric is a skill habit of mind that is, in itself, morally neutral and can be used for good or ill. He believed th...
In our world today, everyone has a different way of interpretation. Interpretation ranges from person to person and varies with every artifact that we interpret. A red octagon to some may mean to stop while to others it may have no meaning. A poem or song may have one meaning to one person and a completely different meaning to another person. To help uncover the reasoning behind an artifact a rhetorical analysis can be utilized. When one utilizes a rhetorical analysis, it will result in their interpretation of the artifact.
When I was first accepted into the AP Language & Composition course, I felt overwhelmed. I had always received above average grades in all subject areas, but because this was an AP course I was unsure if my English skills were up to par. During the summer, my anxiety about the course increased. I began to feel that my writing skills were inferior to the skills of my peers’. Before this course, I did not have a developed writing voice or style. I had little knowledge of what phrases or words to avoid using in writing. I started to wonder if I truly belonged in an AP course. After having completed this course, I have a better grasp of the English language and have acquired skills that have improved my writing.
Rhetorical Analysis and Persuasion Every day we are victims to persuasion whether anyone can notice it or not. Logos, pathos and ethos are the types of persuasion. Logos persuades by reason, pathos by appealing to emotion and ethos by the credibility of the author. The characters in The Iliad employ the use of these techniques to sway another character into doing or feeling something else.
Aristotle is a classical philosopher who was Plato’s student and has written on various topics such as metaphysics, Politics, rhetoric, leadership, communication and management. His works is dated in the ancient Greek city states times and is very applicable in today’s world. In his interrogation of communication, leadership and management and their definitions Aristotle core arguments focus on human nature, constitutions, rulers and subjects, perfectionism and rhetoric.
In that light, it is interesting to analyse what it is that made these artistic words such a difference. A difference that persuaded people to change their behavior. Thankfully, human history has created a term to define these great speeches. It is called rhetoric. In this essay we will try to determine whether rhetoric is an art, or merely a
Without all three of Aristotle's rhetorical appeals an argument or advertisement cannot fully be effective. The rhetorical appeals is a tool of persuasion, but ------ did not use all her tools. Therefore, she did not give an effective argument. There is a large amount of pathos, some ethos, but there are no logos presented in her argument. To improve her argument and make it effective ------ must build on ethos and logos. Ethos was not prevalent in ---- argument she did not show that she could be trustworthy, she demonstrated signs of paranoia the opposite of what ethos represents. A good representation of ethos is to demonstrate to the audience that the author is trustworthy and established, but being a woman from the west is not enough to
Rhetoric is the knack of persuasion: rhetoric is established on the belief that argumentation targets at gaining the loyalty of audience, argumentation is analogous to the audience to be persuaded. The book, ‘The Realm of Rhetoric’ by Chaim Perelman, in entirety is a cosmos of argumentative discourse. Rhetoric and philosophy of argumentation form the principle theme of Perelman’s thought, is an extension of Aristotle’s rhetoric.
Writing is an important part of everyone’s life, whether we use it in school, in the workplace, as a hobby or in personal communication. It is important to have this skill because it helps us as writers to express feelings and thoughts to other people in a reasonably permanent form. Formal writing forms like essays, research papers, and articles stimulates critically thinking. This helps the writer to learn how to interpret the world around him/her in a meaningful way. In college, professors motivate students to write in a formal, coherent manner, without losing their own voice in the process. Improving your writing skills is important, in every English class that’s the main teaching point; to help students improve their writing skills. Throughout my college experience I have acknowledge that
According to Aristotle, rhetoric is the available means of persuasion in any given situation (Rhetoric). Essentially, rhetoric is a tool ...
In America, when teenagers graduate high school, it is expected they then continue on to attend a college or university. The purpose of the post-secondary education is to prepare one further for their future career, whatever that may be. Most times, students are required to enroll in an English 101 class to hone their writing skills, which will help them in their subsequent classes. Boise State University describes the course’s “central purpose is to immerse students in the writing, reading, and thinking practices of their most immediate community: the university. Students explore how literacy works, both within the academic and without, through extensive inquiry-based writing.” While there is a multitude of ways to teach these skills, it