Friday, July 25, 2014

Is it about time - or - It is about time

Watch this:

 

Now, respond to this:

In your opinion (meaning there is no wrong answer as long as you support it, but you better support it with good thinking), what are the intersections between rhetoric and time?

If you choose to respond to this extra credit question, you will receive 10 extra points on your rhetorical analysis paper.  Keep in mind, though, that you do not have all the time in the world to respond.  In fact, you only have until August 9, 2014 @ 5:00 PM.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

If this course has taught me anything, it is that time and rhetoric intersect much more so than I had ever imagined. Rhetoric is very much based on the context and audience in which it occurs, which is essentially all based on time when it comes down to it. A key aspect of rhetoric is about saying something when it NEEDS to be said.

To approach this from another perspective, you can also consider the history of rhetoric. Rhetoric would not be what it is today without the amount of TIME and experience it has been around. Just like I would not be the person I am without the twenty years I have experienced on this Earth, rhetoric would not have the importance it holds today without its vast lifetime of experience and all those who have impacted it. It has been transformed and reinvented and criticized over the years to make it the study it is today.

Rhetoric revolves around time, just as many things do. I feel that rhetoric is about making the most out of each word you say. You only have a short life to live and speaking and writing is our way to make an impact on the world. As I stated before, the timing of perfect rhetoric is oftentimes crucial. Tyler brought up the huge impact of Martin Luther King's Jr.'s "I Have A Dream…" speech in this week's Facebook discussion, which is the perfect support to this assertion of the important intersection of rhetoric and time. MLK performed an incredible speech filled with many rhetorical devices, appealing to pathos, logos, and ethos. However, would it have made such an impact if it had been made at a different time? I do not mean to discredit his work in ANY way at all, but the point I am trying to make is that the timing of MLK's speech was impeccable. Racism was at a peak, people were starting to LISTEN, and in combination with everything else going on at the TIME, his words alone started a major movement.

I think rhetoric is most effective when it intersects perfectly with time. I am very happy I participated in this bonus journal entry because it has me delving into rhetoric even more so and pondering the major influences, including both the causes and effects, of rhetoric.

Unknown said...

Over the course of this class, it has been a reoccurring concept that rhetoric can essentially hold multiple different meanings depending on the situation. This idea alone shows the important relationship between rhetoric and time.

As explained in the text, the greek term "kairos" draws attention to factors such as time and circumstance in relation to rhetoric. Time dictates what rhetorical practices are relevant at the given moment. The video had an interesting perspective on the influence culture has on time. When practicing rhetoric, the rhetor must be aware of the present moment (including cultural values, beliefs, trends) of the society s/he is approaching.

Michaela brings up a great point about how time has shaped rhetoric itself. It is clear through the text that rhetoric has taken up multiple different definitions, been used in multiple different ways, and it valued differently according to kairos. This demonstrated how time and rhetoric have a cooperative relationship and rely on each other in order to be effective. Rhetoric has developed dramatically over the centuries and continues to develop as time goes on hereby forming a linear relationship.

Lastly, another relationship between time and rhetoric that I have noticed involves the craft of persuasion. In today's American culture in particular, a rhetor does not have very long to persuade an audience. This is idea in seen on social media that only allows 140 characters per post, on advertisements that are limited to 15 seconds, on websites that have an average of 2 seconds to convince someone to stay on the page, and more. As time goes on, it seems as though brevity and conciseness have become more valued. As a rhetor whose goal is to persuade, this relationship between time and rhetoric is one to be very cautious of.

Overall, rhetoric is dependent on time in a variety of ways that are continuously being molded.

Unknown said...

Rhetoric has many connections with time, both past and future. The use of rhetoric can persuade others to act, and will most certainly affect the future. The choices you are make when your friend persuades you to go to thirsty Thursday, instead of staying in and getting a good nights sleep will affect the way your Friday is conducted.

Rhetoric is used on a daily basis, and is always deciding what your future holds. We live in a free country because our finding fathers used rhetoric to persuade others that these are the rules we should abide by. It has affected the United States in many ways, in which other countries don't have the opportunity to.

Today Politicians are using rhetoric to question whether or not the amendments that were created so long ago, should still in fact actually exist.

Rhetoric has been used within science, and many of us have been persuaded that their findings are right. Today, we are realizing that not all scientific findings are still accurate. In the past we have done what we thought was right, but are having to change our own thoughts to accept the facts that are being founded now.

Michael Joseph Sharp said...

MS aug 9 @ 609 PM.