One assignment in our class was the journal entries. The journals helped us gain a better understanding of rhetoric and how it has been used throughout history by people such as Henry David Thoreau and Adolf Hitler. I was able to understand how to properly utilize rhetoric in order to create a better understanding of various texts throughout history and create stronger arguments within my own papers. Rhetoric teaches you to gain credibility and it also helps you break down speeches to create a better understanding of the way people speak and use persuasion tactics. While it is easy to read a text it is harder to wrap your head around what it says, and that is especially true in text such as Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience. I’ve read the text before in high school, but I lacked an understanding if what it actually meant. Utilizing rhetoric it is easier to break down what it means and even explain to others and create examples of the information. Being able to read and understand meaning of an essay helps create a better understanding of what the text is trying to say and makes us better readers and overall better writers.
Journal Entry #1
Terministic Screen
How does Keough’s article define “terministic screen”?
Pages five and six does the best in defining Keough’s viewpoints on terministic screens. He speaks about how individuals use terministic screening when trying to downplay someone, like referring to individuals as “children” to discredit their ideas. This is commonly used in “sexist language” when trying to discredit women from expressing their beliefs or getting their point across. Keough’s views are in line with the way Burke feels about terministic screens; it is a powerful language tool that can be used to promote a different line of thought and alter reality to fit the needs of the speaker.What is the relationship between ‘sexist language’ and ‘terministic screen’?
How does the notion of “terministic screen” explain the use of sexist language (historically)?
The use of terministic screen is a way for a speaker to alter the reality of their audience by changing their words. They do this by substituting certain words to create a negative or positive connotation depending on the words they choose. Sexist language is used to downplay the ideas and accomplishments of women or men through the use of words. NCTE defines it as “a way to arbitrarily assign roles to people based upon their sex, making them victims of sex role stereotypes” with even institutions like the NCTE showing problems with the language it is an issue that is plaguing our world. The connection with sexist language and terministic screens is the way words are altered in order to be perceived differently by select groups of individuals. It is a way to downplay individuals using gender stereotypes and selective word choices in order to undermine women in throughout institutions. This can be seen when people use terms like “child” or the labels we give to men like “head master” or how we call women “divorcees.” Our word choice is a defining way in which we convey our ideas and with the right choice of words you can paint anyone as a fool.
The greatest atrocity inflicted by our sexist language is the mold that it forces women into. According to Keough’s article while the role of women in society is changing and they are being put into more powerful roles greater than ever before their treatment isn’t reflecting their new lifestyles. Even though women are becoming the backbone of our society they are still treated as individuals who need to be talked down to and walked over by others. According to Keough it paints women as subservient and creates a struggle for them to escape the mold they are trapped into in our society. This is because of the historical implication placed onto women as being subservient hurts their reputation that they now have today of being stronger and more independent.
We need to transcend beyond the labels that society creates for individuals. Neutral language is a possibility that we can use, but that option won’t be applicable unless we all come together and rectify the issue. Society isn’t based on an idea of dominance or power, it is about for respect and appreciation that we can provide for one person to the other.
Journal Entry #2
Burke’s rationale for analyzing Hitler’s book Mein Kampf was to talk down or shows its frivolousness. He does this in his first few sentences when he say’s “there are other ways of burning books than on the pyre.” In this way he doesn’t say we should forget the book due to the atrocities that Hitler committed, instead we should put it on a pedestal and break it down as to not follow in the footsteps Hitler himself created. Burke was concerned for what Hitler was “selling” in order to warn others about snake oil salesman and avoid the mistakes Germany made.
Hitler’s power didn’t come from the weapons he wielded or the atrocities he committed they came from the silver words he spoke to his followers. In order for Hitler to grow power he put the people he wanted as allies, Germans, on a pedestal. He needed to give them something they could look up towards and something they could strive to become. He proposed the idea of their claim to Rome and vowed to conquer it for his people. Every great positive need has to have an evil however and Hitler created his evil with the use of the Jewish people. He painted the people as liars and miserly and individuals who opposed the German people. Hitler’s rhetoric was based on love for his country, hate for those he perceived as enemies, and reason according to his novel. The German’s devoured his information due to the message he was sending them causing many years of blood and loss for the world.
Hitler had four types of unification that he used in order to manipulate the German’s. His first idea was inborn dignity. Dignity was seen as extremely important and the rights of all men, but especially so to the Aryan people. He told his people they were superior to the Jews and the Negroes and that they can obtain dignity over conquest of weaker nations. His second point was to create a scapegoat to unload burdens. The Aryan’s could blame their enemies for their problems and shortcoming increasing their hatred even more. He uses Symbols as his third device, he highlights the fact that the people are moving forward and they will prevail due to their superior lineage. His final idea was to use get money for his cause instead of asking for it he blamed the Jews for hoarding it and being miserly causing more unrest in his people. These points were extremely powerful due to Germany’s loss of World War 1. The country was downtrodden and suffered a lot due to the blame they took after the war.
Burke, above all else, wants us to be aware of the world as a place with many evils and to not fall victim to the deceptive nature of powerful officials. While it is admirable to want to bring a nation together bringing it together through deception doesn’t solve any of the problems present and only acts as a mask in order to create more problems for the future.
Journal Entry #3
1, Thoreau was against blindly following the government and felt that using civility to deny them their wishes was an acceptable form of protest.
2. He believed the government is at its best when it is governing the least and not over exerting it’s power.
3. He believes that a man should choose his thoughts and feelings and not follow blindly.
4. Thoreau refers to the military as mindless machines who only live for the government. He was actively against the war in Mexico and opposed full government control.
5. He refers to revolutionaries who are vindicated then are seen as heroes.
6. He opposes the war in Mexico so he refuses to pay taxes which causes him to get locked up in prison for one night.