Questions for Discussion and Journaling

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

Read "A Rhetoric Primer" and answer the following questions.

1.

Question 3.1

Try to define the term rhetorical situation to a person outside of this class. What is it? What are its elements? Why is it useful to be able to identify and analyze a rhetorical situation?

2.

Question 3.2

How does Cline’s definition of rhetorical situation compare to other definitions provided by authors in this chapter? Where do they agree, disagree, and vary?

3.

Question 3.3

Explain the canons of rhetoric. What are they? Why would Aristotle have thought it would be useful to try to name these canons?

4.

Question 3.4

In the “Arrangement” section of the canons, Cline notes that the Greek discussion of arrangement is somewhat of a precursor to our contemporary theories about genre. Return to some of the authors in this book who talk about genre (Bazerman [p. 000] is a good place to start) and then write a few paragraphs to explain how our understanding of “arrangement” compares to the classical understanding outlined here by Cline.

5.

Question 3.5

Note that Cline provides an overview of speech act theory, which Bazerman also discusses. Draw on both Bazerman and Cline as needed in order to define locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts.