{"id":41,"date":"2023-12-19T22:40:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T22:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/writingfordigitalmedia\/?post_type=chapter&p=41"},"modified":"2024-02-03T18:29:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T18:29:06","slug":"the-everyday-function-of-rhetoric","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/writingfordigitalmedia\/chapter\/the-everyday-function-of-rhetoric\/","title":{"raw":"The Everyday Function of Rhetoric","rendered":"The Everyday Function of Rhetoric"},"content":{"raw":"

Remember that word \u201cubiquitous\u201d from the introduction? It\u2019s probably a fairly obvious thing to say that digital technology is everywhere, embedded in our most basic daily tasks and often going completely unnoticed. However, following our discussions in the first section of the textbook, the hope is that you have a deeper understanding of the ubiquitous nature of digital media. Now we turn our attention from critical literacy to \u201crhetorical literacy.\u201d Even more pervasive than our use of digital technology is our use of rhetoric, and much like the technologies we use, rhetoric often goes unnoticed. In fact, you are constantly<\/em><\/span> sending messages out into the world\u2014whether it be written or verbal messages that you carefully crafted beforehand or unanticipated conversations, offhand remarks, facial expressions, or body language. Even the clothing you wear sends messages to people about who you are and what your interests, occupations, and moods might be.<\/p>\r\n

Unfortunately, rhetoric is a word that is often misunderstood. People sometimes think of it as an act of manipulation\u2014something politicians use to garner attention and increase votes, but their words don\u2019t have any real meaning. It\u2019s all \u201chot air.\u201d However, while this is certainly an example of rhetoric, it\u2019s nowhere near complete. In simple terms rhetoric is the art of communication<\/em><\/span>. If you were to Google the term, the Oxford Languages would tell you that rhetoric is \u201cthe art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and compositional techniques.\u201d The second definition given is \u201clanguage designed to have a persuasive or effective effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.\u201d That\u2019s the \u201chot air\u201d definition described earlier. However, these definitions are both inadequate because they fail to recognize the more subtle, everyday uses of rhetoric. While you might intentionally use rhetoric for specific occasions\u2014a speech or a debate or an op-ed article, for instance\u2014you also use rhetoric in the more mundane interactions you have with people all day long. You use rhetoric as you walk down the aisle at the grocery store, drive through town, or sit quietly in a classroom. You might not always be aware of the messages you are sending and the effect that you have on other people, but you are indeed using rhetoric, and the more that you are able to cultivate an awareness of rhetoric and how it functions in your everyday life, the more effective you will be in your interactions with other people\u2014both in person and online.<\/p>\r\n

The goal of this chapter is to help you understand what rhetoric is and how foundational it is to our everyday lives. Far from being an act of manipulation, rhetoric in its most useful form is about enhancing mutual understanding and respect in order to facilitate compromise, problem-solving, and healthy relationships. It\u2019s also inherently connected to your sense of identity and the way that you develop knowledge about the world. Defining rhetoric as the art of effective communication intentionally broadens the parameters of when and how we use rhetoric. It\u2019s also fairly simple, particularly compared to the definitions that other rhetoricians have given throughout history. For instance, American Rhetoric<\/span><\/a><\/span> lists a number of \u201cscholarly\u201d definitions of rhetoric:<\/p>\r\n\r\n