Final Reflective Essay
A Hitchhikers Guide To The World Of Rhetoric: Learning Persuasion Through Different Perspectives
Martin Luther King Jr. stands in the center of a large wooden courthouse room. Warm bright lights jab around the room, delivering sharp flashes that illuminate the area and reflect off of MLK’s poised and confident face. The courthouse is large and old with sound echoing from corner to corner and yet there is an undeniable buzz surrounding the chamber. The energy is palpable but puzzling as if something revolutionary is at hand, and all wait to celebrate its arrival. The symbolic speech that begins “I have a dream” is commanded unto the country and the eloquent and powerful sentiments propel the civil rights movement into an opportunity for genuine change. Before beginning Rhetorical Traditions II this semester, this speech was the quintessential example of what rhetoric meant to me. And while MLK’s speech is undoubtedly a great example of rhetoric, and he a rhetorician, I have come to learn that the word encompasses a much broader meaning.
As we have defined rhetoric over the course of this semester, I have come to realize that there is no one way of persuading an audience, nor is there only one medium by which rhetoric can be expressed. In our early readings, Foucault showed me the darker side of rhetoric such as the ways it was used by kings (and perhaps dictators). In this mode of rhetoric, citizens of a kingdom were often persuaded not necessarily through speech, but by being shown examples and having to learn through negative reinforcement. For instance, public executions were performed in front of men, women, and children to show that no crime will go unpunished under a monarch. Following the theme of misused power, the long informed research paper I submitted this semester argues rhetorically for social reform from America’s Original Sin. Slavery in the United States comes from our forefather’s acceptance of immoral practices that follow the same ideas that we see in Foucault’s punishments. In my paper I show the reverberations of slavery in America and how it has affected race and popular public opinion in major court cases such as The State of Florida v. George Zimmerman and the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson. On the other hand, Kenneth Burke shows readers a much more objective form of persuasion through debate. He explains the virtues of democratic rhetoric and how to influence an audience who is able to decide for themselves. Additionally, the video project we completed this semester helped show me how humor can allure audiences and form connections.
Rhetorical Traditions has shown me two sides of effective techniques used for persuasion, both verbal and nonverbal. The first I will review is the darker, more authoritarian side of rhetoric. As we reviewed major rhetoricians this semester, the horrific examples Foucault illustrates in his book took me by surprise. As I explain in my reading response that analyses Foucault’s writing, the author shows many of the malicious methods of nonverbal rhetoric that were commonplace in the 18th century during the period of authoritarian monarchies. For instance, every crime committed in a kingdom was seen as a personal offense to a king, and the use of torture was viewed as an extension of the king’s hand over his subjects (Burgess, Foucault Reading Response). Foucault explains that torturous and lethal responses from a monarch were commonplace in this period of law and order (Burgess, Foucault Reading Response). In the investigatory stages, a suspicion of crime would be automatically equated to a degree of guilt (Burgess Foucault Reading Response). Contemporary citizens in developed countries would be outraged by this standard of judgment. Democratic nations, such as America, pride themselves on the assumption of innocence until guilt is proven in a court of law based on the decision of your peers. Some of the methods of controlling a population Foucault reveals are appalling to say the least. When a citizen in this era was suspected of a crime, the trial they received was far from impartial. In fact, as Foucault explains, the true innocence or guilt of a person was often decided as they lay dying for their alleged crime (Burgess, Foucault Reading Response). According to the author, if the trial was by burning at the stake, how the person received the pain was the measure of their innocence. If the individual screamed blasphemies or took the torture poorly, they were showing signs of their sin (Burgess, Foucault Reading Response). However, if they spoke religiously and wholesomely, they were properly repenting and making amends with God despite their wrongful death (Burgess, Foucault Reading Response). Yet, either way the person still faces a subjective trial under an authoritarian system. I have taken Foucault’s lessons throughout this semester as a way in which rhetoric is used to abuse power.
Through my understanding of the ways in which rhetoric has been misused, I have made strides this semester in offering possible solutions to historically malicious lines of logic through my long research paper titled “A Call To Action: Reversing The Effects Of America’s Original Sin Through Systematic Reform”. In this comprehensive analysis, I study the lasting effects the institution of slavery still has on America. I went about this process by looking at the influences of race and popular public opinion, and how they derailed two legal cases that would have been open-and-shut trials without these extraneous factors (Burgess, A Call To Action). This paper shows that there are many causes that created the unfortunate racial tensions that are still very present in the American judicial system today. For example, the two cases I examined both revealed heinous misreporting by the media which played off of racial stereotypes and drew further lines in the sand among ethnicities when it came to pre-trial opinions on the cases (Burgess, A Call To Action). One example in the George Zimmerman trial comes as soon as reports of the shooting were spread. The initial reports published by mainstream news corporations identified Zimmerman as an older white man shooting a younger black man. This move immediately set up a false racial dynamic that stirred tensions in the country (Burgess, A Call To Action). It was also reported that Zimmerman had no injuries following the confrontation, which makes the neighborhood watchman out to be the instigator and questions his claim to self-defense (Burgess, A Call To Action). It was later revealed that Zimmerman was a Latino man and had indeed sustained injuries to the head, which would have been clear from the beginning with objective reporting in the media (Burgess, A Call To Action). This is just one way we as a country still feel the reverberations of America’s Original Sin in our judicial system.
However on a lighter note, in my study I offered promising solutions to the harrowing problem we must still address as a country in order to insure objectivity in our courts. Some resolutions I posit include restoring ethics in the media, proper vetting for officials of our judicial system, and initiating change at a grassroots level through basic literacy and educational programs (Burgess, A Call To Action).
To balance the darker sides of rhetoric, our class was fortunate enough to look at more democratic approaches of rhetoric as well. The readings we engaged in through the teachings of Kenneth Burke have been enlightening and inspiring towards my understanding of honest persuasion through debate. I respond to the authors teaching’s in my reading analysis “Burke On Rhetoric: The Democratic Approach”. Burke has shown me the value of having an objective audience who can decide for themselves when approached with a persuasive argument (Burgess, Burke On Rhetoric). Burke insists that the best rhetoricians capitalize on their arguments by identifying with their audiences through tone, language, subject or any other means (Burgess, Burke On Rhetoric). By explaining how to win over an audience who can choose to object with your argument without a fear of consequences, Burke proposes the more democratic, and in my mind the more admirable form of rhetoric over the examples Foucault introduces.
Another occasion we have had this semester to learn about respectable forms of rhetoric is through our video project assignment, which I reflected on in my analysis titled “Up Close and Uncomfortably Personal”. In our video, which we based off of a popular interview series, we explore the rhetoric of comedy. Through satirical dialogue and awkward body language, my classmate and I drew the audience in and appealed to their sense of humor (Burgess, Up Close). We modeled this off of Burke’s recommendation to identify with the audience as we do through our amusing farce. For instance, throughout the interviews, Brad Hann periodically murmurs absurd and snarky comments under his breath, that only he and the viewer hear, after the interviewee responds to a question (Burgess, Up Close). This added dimension creates a connection between the audience and Hann that adds to the sarcastic humor of the skit (Burgess, Up Close).
Learning the foundations of Rhetoric this semester has been an enriching experience for me, and one that has been long overdue. In class this semester, we have explored some of the ways rhetoric has been used to abuse power as we see through the methods Foucault introduces and in the unfortunate circumstances that stem from America’s early practices. However, I have had the opportunity to address these misuses and taken steps towards solving them. Our class has also had amazing chances to look at the democratic side of rhetoric through the intelligent Kenneth Burke. My classmate and I also connected to our audience through Burke’s guidelines and appealed to our audience through humor. These collective experiences have given me a new understanding of rhetoric and I am grateful for the guidance this class offered.
Works Cited
Burgess, Samuel. “A Call To Action: Reversing The Effects Of America’s Original Sin Through Systematic Reform” 5/5/14.
Burgess, Samuel. “Foucault Reading Response” 4/11/14.
Burgess, Samuel. “Video Project Reflection: Up Close and Uncomfortably Personal” 4/30/14.
Burgess, Samuel. “Burke On Rhetoric: The Democratic Approach” 4/16/14.