What, exactly, is rhetoric?

Not an easy question, to be sure, but one we will explore in all its complex and multifaceted glory over the next 15 weeks. For purposes of introduction, please consider the following:

Aristotle defines rhetoric as having the ability, in each case, to see the available means of persuasion (Rhetoric I.2.1), and this definition reveals much about the nature and function of rhetoric. So often in contemporary public discourse we hear of rhetoric as a product (i.e. political rhetoric) or used in a disparaging way (i.e. nothing more than empty political rhetoric), but Aristotle offers that rhetoric is an ability. Not merely a product, nor a particular ‘gift’ that some, by accident of birth or nature, have and others don’t. Not just a ‘knack’ like ‘cookery,’ as suggested by Socrates in Plato’s Gorgias , rhetoric is something one may have or learn to have, a techne or craft—and as a craft, rhetoric is something that may be acquired and honed.

This is, perhaps, a particularly helpful distinction, because too often folks have anxiety about writing because they don’t feel they have “the gift.” Too often, folks believe that they “just aren’t” writers. While talent should not necessarily be completely discounted, rhetorical awareness and ability does not come from innate talent alone, a notion Aristotle’s description of rhetoric as a techne implicitly advances.

Further, Aristotle’s caveat, in each case, suggests that rhetoric is situated and dynamic. It responds to kairos—the time, place, and purpose of the rhetorical act. In each case communicates the importance of the opportune or appropriate moment in determining the effectiveness of an utterance. Advancing a claim in one situation, to a particular audience, at a given moment, under a certain set of particular circumstances will affect, perhaps even determine, its outcome. A shift in kairos will almost certainly alter the effectiveness of an appeal. It is, therefore, imperative in understanding, assessing, and crafting a rhetorical appeal that one learns to ‘read’ or assess the rhetorical situation and the appropriateness, the timeliness, the ‘situatedness’ of the rhetorical act.

Finally, available means, while certainly for our purposes as writers indicates language, may also include a variety of available resources. The power of sensory perception—light, color, shape, sound, scent, touch—should not be underestimated . . . and may be used independent of or in conjunction with language to make a rhetorical appeal. It is for this reason that I expand Aristotle’s definition somewhat to say that rhetoric is concerned with understanding the ways symbols achieve efficacy in a particular time and place and for a particular purpose and audience. This concept of rhetoric reveals that language carries significant symbolic/referent power and suggests that it may be crafted or manipulated to achieve a particular outcome.

While certainly not the last word on rhetoric, it is my hope that Aristotle’s approach, when applied to writing, offers incredible accessibility and demystifies, or at least works toward demystifying, the process and provides a valuable frame through which you may approach your writing.