Why Study Rhetoric in Today's Society

Why Study Rhetoric in Today’s Society? A long, unanswered question for students and philosophers alike has been: why study rhetoric? The works of the classical rhetorician, Aristotle, suggests that, “we must be able to employ persuasion…in order that we may see clearly what the facts are, and…if another man argues unfairly, we on our part may be able to confute him” (Aristotle, 181), meaning that there is a need to study rhetoric simply for personal benefit and means of persuasion. George Campbell, a post-classical rhetorician, later suggests that rhetoric should be studied in order to “argue, to provide aesthetic delight, to affect the feelings, and to urge action” (Campbell, 898). It is necessary to study rhetoric not only for the reasons implied by Aristotle and George Campbell, but because society is, even now, immersed in various displays of rhetoric on a daily basis. The first thing that must be known about rhetoric is that it surrounds each community in advertisements, conversations, art, movies, music and body language. Rhetoric is employed in each avenue, regardless of whether or not the user is conscious of his or her use of rhetoric. Studying rhetoric allows one to become conscious of the workings of rhetoric and how it can be skillfully applied to transform speaking and writing and thereby more successful and skillful communicators and more astute and perceptive audiences. Aristotle was a philosopher who saw great potential in rhetoric. He developed his theory of rhetorical transaction which is a triangular model with a different focus at each vertex: subject, speaker, and audience. When addressing the subject, the rhetorician evaluates what he or she knows, and what he or she needs to conduct more research on and is able to determine useful proofs for his or her argument. This is achieved through “the speech itself when we have proved a truth or an apparent truth by means of the persuasive arguments suitable to the case in question” (Aristotle,

Cited: Bizzell, Patricia, and Bruce Herzberg. "Classical Rhetoric: Aristotle." The Rhetorical tradition: readings from classical times to the present. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin 's Press, 1990. 169-240. Print. Bizzell, Patricia, and Bruce Herzberg. "Enlightenment Rhetoric: George Campbell." The Rhetorical tradition: readings from classical times to the present. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin 's Press, 1990. 898-946. Print.