The discussion in class on Tuesday that all language is inherently about persuasion through rhetoric is another interesting topic. I agree with the idea that through the majority of language we are trying to persuade someone or we have been persuaded to act in a certain way or say a certain thing. Since language is how our thoughts originate then it is easy to see how this theory can hold strong. The only problem that I see with this is that there has to be some time where we use language and it is not persuasion; possibly when we are talking to ourselves or writing in a diary.
I think that there are multiple benefits to realizing that language is persuasion. One of these benefits would be that the sooner you grasp this idea then you hold a lot of power in your hands. Now, instead of using language just to communicate, you can master the art of rhetoric and therefore will be able to learn to convince people using only language. Politicians are a very good example of this: Barack Obama is a wonderful public speaker who uses his speeches to convince and prepare America for the times that lie ahead. I think that while teaching a composition class, rhetoric would be a very good place to start because it proves to the student that this is not some boring class where you write some sappy story; instead, it shows that composition class is important because it can give a student the tools to persuade and convince the public, which can be useful to any person going into any job field. If language is used correctly it can save your butt when you are in trouble or get you a promotion. In a composition class, I feel that it is important to get this idea across to young students and encourage them to view language and rhetoric in a whole different light.
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I agree that rhetoric as persuasion is a great assistance when you know what you are doing, but I also think that if you do not know exactly what you are conveying, it can get you into a lot of trouble. I also agree that rhetoric as persuasion would be a great topic to teach in a composition class because showing students the power they can have if they learn how to master language will encourage them to participate in the class.
ReplyDeleteI am also not convinced that every single thing we think and say is meant to be persuasive. I do think you bring up a good point of how powerful language and knowledge of rhetoric can be. When you were pointing out some examples like the ability to get a promotion or politician's use of language, I thought of all the people I've met and how much of a difference their ability to use language makes. I think there are some brilliant people who just don't use speaking to their advantage (or come across as socially awkward because they are bad with language). I also know some people who are not that smart or fantastic who have the ability to do anything they want because they are such affluent speakers.
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