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Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors

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Paul Rogers
Paul Rogers

This document discusses writing and rhetoric. It defines writing as a tool for thinking, learning, communication and knowledge creation. It discusses the history of writing from its origins over 30,000 years ago to early forms in Mesopotamia, China, and Mesoamerica. The development of writing systems including Sumerian cuneiform and Chinese oracle bone script are summarized. The invention of printing and its impacts are noted. The document also briefly discusses the role of writing in knowledge development and the digital age. It provides definitions and discussions of rhetoric including Aristotle's appeals of logos, pathos and ethos and Cicero's functions of oratory.

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Writing and Rhetoric
Writing---the art of communicating thoughts to the mind, through the eye---is the great invention of the world. Abraham Lincoln
What is writing? Writing is a tool of thinking Writing is a means of learning Writing is a tool for communication Writing is a method of self-representation Writing is a tool of knowledge creation Across space and time
What counts as writing?
Process Domain Specific Content Knowledge Rhetoric Genre Knowledge Discourse Community Knowledge
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
College Board. (2000). Writing a ticket to work...or a ticket out: A survey of business leaders. Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://www.writingcommission.org/prod_downloads/writingcom/writing-ticket-to- work.pdf
The History of Writing De-familiarizing the familiar
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
30,000 BC
Chauvet Cave, near the village of Vallon-Pont-d Arc, France
The Origins of Writing The available evidence shows that writing arose autochthonously in three places of the world: in Mesopotamia, about 3200 BC, in China about 1250 BC, and in Mesoamerica around 650 BC. Autochthonously: Adj. Originating where found; indigenous: autochthonous rocks; an autochthonous people; autochthonous folktales. See synonyms at native.
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Sumerians created the first written language based on abstract signs around 3000 B.C.E. Imprints of the signs, called cuneiform, were made by pressing a wedge-shaped stylus into wet clay.
In China, the earliest written event, name of a person or object was found marked on large animal bones or tortoise shalls. The earliest of marks on these bones date from about 1600BC. These scratch marks are ideographs, similar in principle but not related to Mesopotamian and Egyptian symbols used for writing. These are the so-called Chinese Oracle Bone Inscriptions (jiaguwen) which were found at the site of the last Shang capital near present-day, Henan province.
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
This is the earliest form of Chinese writing, used probably from the Middle to the Late Shang dynasty (approximately 1500 BC ?? to 1000 BC). Most of the time, this script was etched onto turtle shells and animals bones, which were then used for divination in the royal court.
Early Meso-American Writing The Dresden Codex: circa 650 BCE
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
How Writing Started
The Invention of Printing The invention of printing is considered to be one of the defining inventions for the advancement of civilization. Printing was invented in China, possibly between the 4th and 7th century AD. Gutenberg's movable type printing press about 1450 AD is often cited as the single greatest invention for world civilization.
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Writing and Knowledge
The Fabrica filled revolutionary drawings of human anatomy. This work marks the turning point in the understanding of the human body.
Leonard Fuch's New Kreiterbuch (1543) a text on the medicinal properties of plants "which marked the beginning of the botanical textbook.
Robert Hooke's Micrographia "the first great work devoted to microscopical observations (1665)
Writing in the Digital Age
What role do texts and writing play in a networked world?
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Three kinds of writing Knowledge telling Knowledge transforming Knowledge crafting
Rhetoric Rhetoric can be used as both analytic and productive art Analytic Analysis Heuristic Production
Definitions Aristotle: Rhetoric is the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion. Cicero: Rhetoric is one great art comprised of five lesser arts: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery." Rhetoric is "speech designed to persuade. Quintilian: Rhetoric is the art of speaking well" or "...a good person speaking well.
Aristotles Rhetoric provides a solid foundation for practicing, learning, and teaching communication, including writing It Logos (Text) Purpose Kairos (Urgent and Non-Trivial) I Ethos You Pathos (Speaker) (Audience)
Persuasive Communication Rhetoric: The ability in any particular case to see all the available means of persuasion (Aristotle, The Rhetoric). Being persuasive is an ability It can be developed through study and practice Will give you more options to accomplish your communication goals There are multiple means of persuasion But, first be clear about your purpose Know your audience Use ethos, logos, and pathos
Classical Rhetoric: Aristotle Aristotle named three rhetorical appeals Logos: logical appeal Pathos: emotional appeal Ethos: ethical appeal
Classical Rhetoric: Aristotle Branch Time Purposes Topics Judicial Past accuse or defend justice/injustice Deliberative Future exhort or good/unworthy dissuade Epideictic Present praise or blame virtue/vice
In College Writing You Must Develop Your Logical Argumentation Abilities LOGOS = LOGICAL ARGUMENTATION Purpose Kairos (Urgent and Non-Trivial) I Ethos You Pathos (Writer) (Audience(s))
Contemporary research also adds a great deal to our understanding of what works in communication, and writing in particular
Cicero 3 functions of oratory teach, delight, and move INFORM: What do I want my audience to know? ENTERTAIN: What do I want my audience to feel? PERSUADE: What do I want my audience to do?
Characteristics of rhetorical discourse 1. Planned 2. Adapted to an audience 3. Shaped by human motives 4. Responsive to a situation 5. Persuasion-seeking 6. Concerned with contingent issues
Social functions of the art of rhetoric 1. Rhetoric tests ideas 2. Rhetoric assists advocacy 3. Rhetoric distributes power 4. Rhetoric discovers facts 5. Rhetoric shapes knowledge 6. Rhetoric builds community
Ethos = credibility What counts as credibility differs among groups of people O'Keefe (1990) defined credibility as "judgments made by a perceiver concerning the believability of a communicator" In other words credibility is in the eye of the beholder
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
The two most important elements in establishing credibility are expertise and trustworthiness
Credibility is subject to change over time
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
What will compromise your credibility in the short and long term?
A single spelling error on a resume of cover letter could seriously undermine your competitiveness in applying for an internship or job.
Two kinds of credibility
Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors
Extrinsic: what people know about you before they read your work or hear you speak
Intrinsic: what we do within a communication setting through our actions.
Putting ethos to work in your writing Know your material Cite evidence (Reinard, J.C. (1988) Human Communication Research, 15,3-59). Share your interest, experience, and expertise Have your readers best interest in mind Identify similarities with your reader If you lack extrinsic credibility increase your readers involvement with the topic, which will help focus them on the topic more than the messenger (Petty and Cacioppa, 1986).
Definitions of rhetoric shift in the 1700s: Belletristic Rhetoric Hugh Blair: Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres Alexander Jamieson: A Grammar of Rhetoric and Polite Literature Privilege the readers taste over the writers eloquence: reading and study of literature have more value than the production of eloquent writing
Rhetoric and English Studies Focus on Belletristic Rhetoric in the mid-1800s opens the way for the establishment of the study of the literary arts as a focus for English departments. Meanwhile, the first tech writing course is offered in 1860, for specific situations: English + Engineering = Technical Writing

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Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing for English Majors

  • 2. Writing---the art of communicating thoughts to the mind, through the eye---is the great invention of the world. Abraham Lincoln
  • 3. What is writing? Writing is a tool of thinking Writing is a means of learning Writing is a tool for communication Writing is a method of self-representation Writing is a tool of knowledge creation Across space and time
  • 4. What counts as writing?
  • 5. Process Domain Specific Content Knowledge Rhetoric Genre Knowledge Discourse Community Knowledge
  • 7. College Board. (2000). Writing a ticket to work...or a ticket out: A survey of business leaders. Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://www.writingcommission.org/prod_downloads/writingcom/writing-ticket-to- work.pdf
  • 8. The History of Writing De-familiarizing the familiar
  • 12. Chauvet Cave, near the village of Vallon-Pont-d Arc, France
  • 13. The Origins of Writing The available evidence shows that writing arose autochthonously in three places of the world: in Mesopotamia, about 3200 BC, in China about 1250 BC, and in Mesoamerica around 650 BC. Autochthonously: Adj. Originating where found; indigenous: autochthonous rocks; an autochthonous people; autochthonous folktales. See synonyms at native.
  • 16. Sumerians created the first written language based on abstract signs around 3000 B.C.E. Imprints of the signs, called cuneiform, were made by pressing a wedge-shaped stylus into wet clay.
  • 17. In China, the earliest written event, name of a person or object was found marked on large animal bones or tortoise shalls. The earliest of marks on these bones date from about 1600BC. These scratch marks are ideographs, similar in principle but not related to Mesopotamian and Egyptian symbols used for writing. These are the so-called Chinese Oracle Bone Inscriptions (jiaguwen) which were found at the site of the last Shang capital near present-day, Henan province.
  • 19. This is the earliest form of Chinese writing, used probably from the Middle to the Late Shang dynasty (approximately 1500 BC ?? to 1000 BC). Most of the time, this script was etched onto turtle shells and animals bones, which were then used for divination in the royal court.
  • 20. Early Meso-American Writing The Dresden Codex: circa 650 BCE
  • 23. The Invention of Printing The invention of printing is considered to be one of the defining inventions for the advancement of civilization. Printing was invented in China, possibly between the 4th and 7th century AD. Gutenberg's movable type printing press about 1450 AD is often cited as the single greatest invention for world civilization.
  • 26. The Fabrica filled revolutionary drawings of human anatomy. This work marks the turning point in the understanding of the human body.
  • 27. Leonard Fuch's New Kreiterbuch (1543) a text on the medicinal properties of plants "which marked the beginning of the botanical textbook.
  • 28. Robert Hooke's Micrographia "the first great work devoted to microscopical observations (1665)
  • 29. Writing in the Digital Age
  • 30. What role do texts and writing play in a networked world?
  • 32. Three kinds of writing Knowledge telling Knowledge transforming Knowledge crafting
  • 33. Rhetoric Rhetoric can be used as both analytic and productive art Analytic Analysis Heuristic Production
  • 34. Definitions Aristotle: Rhetoric is the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion. Cicero: Rhetoric is one great art comprised of five lesser arts: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery." Rhetoric is "speech designed to persuade. Quintilian: Rhetoric is the art of speaking well" or "...a good person speaking well.
  • 35. Aristotles Rhetoric provides a solid foundation for practicing, learning, and teaching communication, including writing It Logos (Text) Purpose Kairos (Urgent and Non-Trivial) I Ethos You Pathos (Speaker) (Audience)
  • 36. Persuasive Communication Rhetoric: The ability in any particular case to see all the available means of persuasion (Aristotle, The Rhetoric). Being persuasive is an ability It can be developed through study and practice Will give you more options to accomplish your communication goals There are multiple means of persuasion But, first be clear about your purpose Know your audience Use ethos, logos, and pathos
  • 37. Classical Rhetoric: Aristotle Aristotle named three rhetorical appeals Logos: logical appeal Pathos: emotional appeal Ethos: ethical appeal
  • 38. Classical Rhetoric: Aristotle Branch Time Purposes Topics Judicial Past accuse or defend justice/injustice Deliberative Future exhort or good/unworthy dissuade Epideictic Present praise or blame virtue/vice
  • 39. In College Writing You Must Develop Your Logical Argumentation Abilities LOGOS = LOGICAL ARGUMENTATION Purpose Kairos (Urgent and Non-Trivial) I Ethos You Pathos (Writer) (Audience(s))
  • 40. Contemporary research also adds a great deal to our understanding of what works in communication, and writing in particular
  • 41. Cicero 3 functions of oratory teach, delight, and move INFORM: What do I want my audience to know? ENTERTAIN: What do I want my audience to feel? PERSUADE: What do I want my audience to do?
  • 42. Characteristics of rhetorical discourse 1. Planned 2. Adapted to an audience 3. Shaped by human motives 4. Responsive to a situation 5. Persuasion-seeking 6. Concerned with contingent issues
  • 43. Social functions of the art of rhetoric 1. Rhetoric tests ideas 2. Rhetoric assists advocacy 3. Rhetoric distributes power 4. Rhetoric discovers facts 5. Rhetoric shapes knowledge 6. Rhetoric builds community
  • 44. Ethos = credibility What counts as credibility differs among groups of people O'Keefe (1990) defined credibility as "judgments made by a perceiver concerning the believability of a communicator" In other words credibility is in the eye of the beholder
  • 51. The two most important elements in establishing credibility are expertise and trustworthiness
  • 52. Credibility is subject to change over time
  • 56. What will compromise your credibility in the short and long term?
  • 57. A single spelling error on a resume of cover letter could seriously undermine your competitiveness in applying for an internship or job.
  • 58. Two kinds of credibility
  • 60. Extrinsic: what people know about you before they read your work or hear you speak
  • 61. Intrinsic: what we do within a communication setting through our actions.
  • 62. Putting ethos to work in your writing Know your material Cite evidence (Reinard, J.C. (1988) Human Communication Research, 15,3-59). Share your interest, experience, and expertise Have your readers best interest in mind Identify similarities with your reader If you lack extrinsic credibility increase your readers involvement with the topic, which will help focus them on the topic more than the messenger (Petty and Cacioppa, 1986).
  • 63. Definitions of rhetoric shift in the 1700s: Belletristic Rhetoric Hugh Blair: Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres Alexander Jamieson: A Grammar of Rhetoric and Polite Literature Privilege the readers taste over the writers eloquence: reading and study of literature have more value than the production of eloquent writing
  • 64. Rhetoric and English Studies Focus on Belletristic Rhetoric in the mid-1800s opens the way for the establishment of the study of the literary arts as a focus for English departments. Meanwhile, the first tech writing course is offered in 1860, for specific situations: English + Engineering = Technical Writing

Editor's Notes

  1. Taste is in the reader; eloquence in the writer. If taste is privileged, then the reading of literature has higher value than eloquence in writing