1. Origins & History of Rhetoric


Individual Work

The Origins and History of Rhetoric

1. Look through the presentation above about the origins and history of rhetoric and answer the questions 


Class Work

2. Imagine you are one of the world’s greatest violin players, and you decide to conduct an experiment: play inside a subway station and see if anyone stops to appreciate when you are stripped of a concert hall and name recognition. Joshua Bell did this, and Conor Neill channels Aristotle to understand what matters in this situation.

Questions for discussion:
  1. Could you tell us what is essential in such a situation?
  2. What are the means of persuasion?
  3. What do you think could have made Joshua Bell's impromptu concert at the subway a little more successful?
  4. What can you add to Aristotle's three means of persuasion to make your ideas even more successful realities?
  5. Explain a time when you anticipated a positive response to an action but didn't get it. What will you do differently next time?


Dig deeper!


3. What is rhetoric? What are the three key elements of rhetoric?




Mind map "What is Rhetoric?" from the point of view of famous scientists

Rhetoric

is the study and practice of communication that persuades, informs, inspires, or entertains target audiences in order to change or reinforce beliefs, values, habits, or actions.
Rhetorical study
not only brings a deeper understanding of strategic communication but also guides our practical use of it. Rhetoric is an art through which people learn to improve their own communication and adapt it to specific audiences and purposes. It also helps us learn to discern the excellence and weakness of our own and others’ rhetoric. 

Rhetorical study & education occurs through several means:

  • Individual, everyday practice and reflection on one’s own communication
  • Rhetorical enculturation and popular rhetorical advice
  • The formal study of rhetorical theory, criticism, history, and practice
Rhetorical Discourse is 
Planned
Adapted to an audience
Shaped by human motives
Responsive to a situation
Persuasion-seeking 
Selena talks about her life and some of the hardships she's encountered in her career to a crowd of 16,000 youth at the first-ever We Day in California. She told the crowd to never ever give up on their dreams and to be confident in their goals. Selena Marie Gomez is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television producer. In this Speech, she also quotes: "Please stay true to yourself, please just remain who you are and know that we have each other’s back, all of us have each other’s back."
Task: Watch her speech and define logos ethos and pathos in it.


Homework

1. Complete the individual work.
2. Introduce yourself to your partner using presentations, videos, pictures, scrapbooks, or other creative ways, and upload it to Moodle. Remember the three means of persuasion.
3. Watch King Elizabeth's speech 'Hoist the Colours' and define logos, ethos, and pathos in it.