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Brittany Ventriglio Dr. Scott ENC 3331 28 May 2012

Rhetoric Engagement and Its Sponsors

Defining Rhetoric Without a doubt, every human on this planet thinks differently, speaks differently, and looks at everyone and everything with different perspectives. We all have varying views on what surrounds us and because we all come with varying backgrounds and life experiences, disagreement is inevitable. Communicating our ideas to one another, whether to persuade, inform, or just to attentively listen may render a struggle based on our differences; but I believe communication is key. Rhetoric lies in communication whether we realize this or not. Today, the term rhetoric tends to have numerous negative connotations. Many people link this word with words such as trickery, manipulation, or sometimes misleading propaganda. In modern day, rhetoric is often used with persuasion. This is clearly evident during times of presidential primaries when electoral arguments are seen and heard everywhere throughout our media sources. Such as Barak Obamas recent campaigns,

Ventriglio 2 candidates running for any electoral spot in our government use the art of rhetoric in speeches, campaigns, and commercials. They use this tactic to have voters "buy in" to the candidate's honesty and validity to what he is stating with the goal to acquire their votes. While many see this type of persuasion through rhetoric in a negative light, I believe it depends on the rhetorician and what he or she is saying in order to persuade. Dealing with issues such as global warming and pollution for example, I dont see any way (besides using false statistics, perhaps) that one can use rhetoric in a negative way when trying to persuade his or her community to recycle. For instance, I can recall an occasion in high school when representatives from a nearby recycling organization came to speak with our class about all of the numerous benefits of recycling. While the representatives were still using rhetoric during the discussion, I cannot recall, nor did I feel, any sense of manipulation or any type of trickery being used to try to mislead our class into recycling. The purpose of the message was one that could only lead to a more positive outcome for the world as a whole. Sometimes, though, rhetoric deals with notions other than solely persuasion. In ancient times, for example, rhetoricians used rhetoric to make decisions, resolve disagreements, and mediate disputes on public issues. We all have different ways of mediating and conversing our ideas and beliefs and because of my knowledge of the ancient use of rhetoric and how it is used nowadays, I believe rhetoric to be sort of an art - the art of communication. Aristotle defined rhetoric as the power of finding available arguments suited to a given situation (Crowley and Hawhee 1). While it seems

Ventriglio 3 as though he links rhetoric with persuasion, I believe rhetoric to be the use of language to make any kind of impact on someone else, whether to persuade or not. Being strongly skilled in the art of rhetoric, along with staying educated and informed on issues that affect us as stakeholders, it is not difficult to make arguments and subsequently positive movements that we wish to see as citizens of any place or culture.

Defining Citizenship What does the term citizenship truly mean? What does being a good citizen entail? To each of us, it means something different. Many of us may connect the term citizenship to our home country, our culture, or being an active member of our community at large. Simply being born in the United States can categorize one as an American citizen, yet also attending public school or placing a Go Obama! sticker on ones car may also easily label one as an American citizen. I believe being a good citizen is more than just attending public school or placing a bumper sticker on ones car, but involves educated, lio participation. The types of civic duties one may perform vary from person to person depending on age, location, and interests. One who is highly interested in politics may keep updated on political and world news more avidly than one who is more interested in environmental sciences. While one may pay closer mind to the news and attend protests such as the Occupy Movement, the other may promote the notion of recycling across his or her community. Either way, I believe being a true

Ventriglio 4 citizen means more than just voting or going to school and staying informed. It means all those preliminary standards as well as becoming actively engaging in the powerful process of affecting change.

Rhetorical Citizenship Democracy cant work unless citizens are literate and informed is a statement quoted in Wans article by Richard Ohmann. This statement is quite simple, yet speaks volumes when dealing with rhetorical citizenship. While being a good citizen often entails taking elective action for what one believes in, it is also vital for each of us to stay informed and stay educated! There is no way to do so without the use of rhetoric, and this is where both rhetoric and civic engagement overlap. Rhetoric allows us to use language, whether through writing, speaking, or encoding others words and ideas to produce our very own meaning of what we believe, all of which is based upon our own opinions and experiences of any given issue. When attempting to affect change after doing research on an issue one feels passionate about, rhetoric can be used in many types of forums. The easiest and most basic forum for most would be any type of informal forum. This can include simple conversation with peers or perhaps a quick chat with one a quasi-activist who plays a more prominent role on the relating issue. More formal forums can include any type of rhetorical engagement such as speaking at a town hall meeting or being involved in a protest at a local public forum location. Whichever path one chooses to engage in, it is crucial that one follow

Ventriglio 5 the tenet that staying informed and keeping an open mind is key to the relevancy and effectiveness of your persuasive argument. Using the art of rhetoric - of speaking, writing, or listening with language - in a positive manner in order to persuade while also being an active citizen can be very influential and thus may lead to powerful movements, possibly global.

My Sponsors Any person who has been rhetorically engaged somehow in his or her life has encountered at least a handful of rhetorical sponsors who has either helped or hindered their engagement. One positive sponsor of mine that has helped further my civic engagement includes the American Red Cross. During the early 2000s, after a season of damaging hurricanes, I volunteered to participate in an ARC event to which my father and I drove over three hours to Naples, Florida. We spent countless hours making and distributing food to hurricane victims. In addition, we distributed blankets and sleeping bags, and quite often, we became the person that the victims turned to for inspiration and the relief for their anxiety. I believe that through volunteering myself in this event and speaking with some of the victims, my sense of citizenship and community pride became stronger. Talking to others who have been through more devastating circumstances than I had helped me get a better understanding for society as well as others perspectives on life and all that they had. This American Red Cross event was indeed a sponsor that has affected me in a positive manner. My participation gave me a new perspective and sensitivity to other's needs and wants, many of

Ventriglio 6 which proved more important than mine, while teaching me the value of affecting change through active engagement. Another important sponsor who has modeled a positive role in my life rhetorically is my mother. She has her Masters Degree in English and has been teaching for over 25 years. From the age of five, my mom has always been one to help me with writing assignments and has helped me acquire proper word usage for speeches, research papers, interviews, and much more. Her role as an educator of low-performing students, has promoted her causes and thereby, her civic engagements. She is the chairperson of the Education Committee in Palm Beach County and has also appeared on local news stations. She has fought to support public education by dealing with our public schools grant funding, has promoted reading programs for struggling readers (in which many of her students were prime stakeholders) and has also promoted the use of safety signage around school zone, such as stop signs and school-crossing signals. Along with issues dealing with our countys education system, my mother has also participated in local campaigns and volunteered for campaign committees for council and mayoral candidates in previous years. Having a mother who has remained involved in my community has encouraged me to stay involved by keeping informed on relevant issues by reading our local newspaper, watching the news, and by helping me strive to use rhetoric in the most powerful, positive, and effective manner.

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Works Cited

Crowley, Sharon and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary

Students. 4th ed. New York: Pearson, 2009. Print.

Herrick, James A. The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction. 4th

ed. Boston: Pearson, 2009. Print.

Wan, Amy J. In the Name of Citizenship: The Writing Classroom and the

Promise of Citizenship. College English 74.1 (2011): 28-49. Print.