The Course Journal Entries met most of the course objectives, mainly course objectives two, three, and four. Almost each week, we wrote reflections from the chapter readings from our textbook in the form of course journals. In these course journals, we discussed terms that we had read about in the text and discussed in class. We did not use the textbook definitions to describe these terms, but instead used visuals or real life situations to better be able to relate to the terms.
Course Journal Entries
Journal Entry: Chapter One- Rhetoric as Symbolic Action
1.Symbols are important in all kinds of writing and speech. There are symbols we use in our everyday writing to place emphasis on the words we are saying. “Symbols make a difference in interpersonal relationships… and public communication” (3). When we use words that are common, or there is a mutual understanding of the meaning, people are better able to understand the context of the writing or speech.
2.“Rhetoric is a form of power” (27). Rhetoric is used to persuade, and to persuade you have to have some sort of power over your audience. You have to be able to use it effectively. When it is used effectively you should be able to draw your audience in, to make them understand. You are in control of what is being said, however, you are not in control of how people react to it.
3.Social factors are a constraint when using rhetoric. Not all rhetoric is used to intentionally change a person’s actions or beliefs (20). When using rhetoric, you can alter the perception of others, but not necessarily change their beliefs. The book gives an example of J.K Rowling when she wrote Harry Potter, she was able to make people visualize what was going on. She used her writing in hopes people would see what she was able to see. It depends on the audience, and their previous beliefs, if it is able to actually one’s perceptions. Everyone has their own thought processes and interpret words differently than one another. The goal may be to persuade, but it doesn’t necessarily affect everyone’s thinking in the same way.
Journal Entry Chapter Six: Rhetors
1. Ethos is one of three appeals as defined by Aristotle. Ethos deals with an appeal to ethics, or also can be defined as “appeal to character” (P.167). The ethos deals with the credibility of the speaker. The ethos is determined prior to and within a rhetorical act (P.168). This can be better exemplified as if you were reading a speech written by a national leader, depending on the content of the speech, you would understand if they were a credible source of information, and whether or not you should take into consideration their authority over the content of which they are speaking.
2. Rhetorical Persona is the combination of ethos, roles, identity, authority, and image that a rhetor constructs during a rhetorical act (P.165). The persona of a rhetor is performed in different parts. All of these parts work together like a puzzle, or a “facet”. (P.167). They all work together and sometimes rely on each other to develop the other.
3. Image plays an important role in what you want the audience to see. You want your audience to see the image you are trying to set in a positive way, “Images are actively constructed, they are most believable when they appear passive” (P.180). Celebrities essentially build their image. They want to be seen in a positive way, they don’t want any negative associations. Certain actions can change the image of a celebrity, and it can make them be seen in a negative way. In order to stay credible, celebrities want to be able to keep up their image. The image you portray and your credibility play a major role in the character you portray.
Journal Entry Chapter Three: Visual Rhetoric
1.Visuals make things stand out. Words can say or do one thing, but without being able to visualize what is happening, you really don’t get the point that the author or speaker is trying to give you because you’re unable to see the bigger picture. “ Visuals possess the characteristics of presence, because of their immediacy, the creation of something in front of an audience’s consciousness” (P. 71). Being able to see something makes things easier to understand. For example, having a power point presentation makes the audience become engaged and see the words, rather than a lecturer just simply talking.
2.The way words are written can help us to visualize as well. If someone uses accurate visual context when writing, those reading the work may be able to understand exactly what the author meant, without having tangible visible evidence. Not everyone thinks the same way or may see things the way the author intended, “although audiences may have different interpretations of the same text, often interpretations are relatively consistent”(P.75)
3.Audiences have a major impact on how rhetoric can be perceived. As someone viewing a presentation or reading a pamphlet, etc., the audience has the power to take away whatever meaning they want from that presentation. Someone may understand one thing differently than another, one person make take away a key point that someone may not have noticed. “the meaning of the text is not determined by the author..”(P.74).
Journal Entry Chapter Two: Language
- Metaphors are defined as “a figure of speech in which two dissimilar things are said to be similar, offering a new perspective on a known issue”(Pg. 51). We use metaphors in our day to day lives whether we realize it or not. Metaphors are heard through song lyrics, seen on television, or have become just a part of our everyday vocabulary. We are making a comparison and relating it to something so it makes sense. One example of a metaphor is “Life is a climb, but the view is great”. Basically this is comparing Life to climbing a mountain or climbing a tree. It is a struggle to get all the way to the top, but once you are there and you see all you have accomplished it is well worth it.
- Language is an important thing to pay attention to when reading or writing. The words you use draw attention to the reader or audience. Inflated Language is “language that is designed to make the ordinary seem extraordinary (Pg. 60). We see inflated language all the time on advertisements. When companies advertise something they want to make it stand out. Sometimes they will use the term “brand new” to lure you in to wanting something, it may not be new to you, but it is new to them, but it made you curious anyways. Inflated language is used when you want to describe your job in a “fancier way”. For example, if you were a janitor you may refer to yourself as a “cleaning specialist”, just to draw attention to your job title in a way that others may not pay attention to.
- Re signification is defined as “a process in which people reject the connotation of a symbol, expose how the meaning of the symbol is constructed and attempt to change the connotation (Pg. 58). In our world today, we use a variety of words that could mean a variety of things to us depending on the context. It is however, difficult to change the meaning of the word to everyone. For centuries the word “gay” has been around, it used to be a term that was used to describe “happy”, now it is referred to as a term to describe “homosexual”. In this day and age, when we use the term “gay”, few people relate it back to being happy, which was it’s original meaning.
Palczewski, Catherine Helen. et al. Rhetoric in Civic Life. State College, PA, Strata Pub., 2016