I chose the article “British Vogue Editor's Lame PR Coup: No More Size Zeros!” by Foster Kamer for Ancillary #1. The subject matter of the article is something that’s really important to me as a young woman in the entertainment industry, but I also really enjoyed reading the article. Kamer was very witty in his word choice, and wrote in a way that allowed me to almost hear his voice in my head as I read. His opinion piece persuaded me right away, and I had previously been excited about the editor of Vogue’s decision to scold the fashion industry. Normally I’m a pretty hard person to persuade, but something about his article really struck me. Rhetorical analysis should help me figure out what.
I also had a general question about rhetorical analysis. I have taken several classes in the past that have talked about rhetoric as the ability to use words to persuade. Am I right in assuming then that rhetorical analysis is breaking down what about the argument is persuasive?
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Of course I am not the professor, so she may augment my comment or completely replace it, but rhetoric is not only the act of persuading, but also the act or art of using all words. That is why the rhetorical analysis we are dealing with here doesn't always have to do with persuasion, although a lot of it does. The examples from the lecture, from the book "Lolita" offer a good example, some are there to persuade and some are just there to inform or entertain.
ReplyDeleteJonathan,
ReplyDeletethis broader use of the word rhetoric is new to me as well. Through high-school and college in France "rhetoric" always referred to the logical connection between points in an argument, strategies in a persuasive format, etc. What we are doing here I have always known as "stylistic analysis". Time to adapt! =)
I meant to address the OP, not the commentator... =P
ReplyDeleteHi Erin,
ReplyDeleteYes, partially. You will do a number of things to do so (make sure you follow the specifics in the prompt and on the grading rubric), but ultimately, you are breaking down how the author introduces an argument and sustains it throughout.
Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. We tend to associate rhetoric with persuasion, and it often is persuasive, but broadly speaking "rhetoric" can refer to any communication (oral or visual as well as written) that seeks to communicate a clear purpose by way of specifically chosen strategies. In that sense, a "free write" for instance, I wouldn't call rhetoric . . . but I WOULD label a painting rhetoric as the artist is attempting to convey some meaning and has made stylistic choices to present that message.