Rhetorically Educated

According to Aristotle, rhetoric is “having the ability, in each case, to see the available means of persuasion.” In order to have this skill, one must learn the different techniques that effectively persuade, study and evaluate the implementation of these techniques, and then, in the end, practice the utilization of these techniques in successful rhetorical pieces. There is a flexible methodology used to rhetorically analyze a piece. First, one must evaluate who is the target audience. In order to manipulate the kairos of the situation, which includes the place and time where one is trying to convince a specific audience, it is essential to study the different types of evidence and appeals that are successful in the different situations. Furthermore, one must analyze failed attempts at persuasion in order to understand what is ineffective and in some cases what becomes a logical fallacy and therefore does not successfully persuade the target audience. Rhetoric is used every day in commercials, in campaign ads, in discussions between peers, and in many other situations. By analyzing the different rhetorical arguments, one realizes the effectiveness that each author achieves. Scrutinizing the successes and failures of others emphasizes ideas and methodology that one can use when making her own rhetorical claim. For example, one method of persuasion that most often has a crash-and-burn effect when the target audience is one’s parents is the usage of the bandwagon fallacy. Undoubtedly, every child at one point or another says, “Everyone is going,” “Everyone is doing it,” or “Everyone has one.” More often than not, the target audience, the parents, are not even close to being persuaded. Having rhetorically analyzed a situation where the bandwagon fallacy is not effective in a certain kairos, one learns what rhetorical methodology to avoid when trying to persuade her parents to buy her a new car, for instance. Steering clear of the bandwagon fallacy, she can successfully utilize other ethos, pathos, and logos appeals in order to come home to a new car in the driveway. Moreover, by studying the reactions to previous candidates’ acceptance speeches at the Democratic National Conventions, Barack Obama and his speechwriters more than likely focused his acceptance speech on a pathetic appeal because he was facing an audience who shared the same assumptions with him. Thus, rather than focusing his speech on numbers, he could emphasize the necessity for everyone to act by drawing on their emotions. By studying the attempts at rhetoric, a successful rhetorician can enhance her own piece and more successfully persuade her target audience. By rhetorical analysis, one may be able to break a rhetorical claim into smaller, more easily understandable pieces in order to determine the validity of the claim. Thus, one may not be persuaded in a situation they otherwise would have been because they have experience with rhetoric and can understand the persuasive techniques that the author is trying to utilize on the target audience. Rhetorical analysis not only teaches one how to successfully persuade others but also teaches one through experience how to be an educated audience.