WJ #5

Writer's Journal #5 - Understanding Rhetorical Concepts





OVERVIEW
Encountering “rhetoric” and the “rhetorical situation” for the first time can be surprising for many students. These concepts seem familiar, but often this familiarity is vague or under-defined. However, by becoming more aware of the “rhetorical situation” and working with this awareness, we can better understand what we are doing in and with our writing.


DIRECTIONS
In this Writer’s Journal, you will have the opportunity to think about “rhetoric,” “the rhetorical situation,” and your understanding of these terms. To help you in this reflection, please respond to the following questions:

• • Based on the readings and videos that you read/watched during week one, how would you describe “rhetoric”? What is “the rhetorical situation” and how do you see an awareness of this concept affecting your writing and behaviors?
  • I have read many news articles and seen TV commercials in this week. To the best of my understanding, "rhetoric'" means trying to persuade specific audience as a part of communucation. I think that news articles and TV commercials fit perfectly to explain this rhetorical situation, in terms of persuading audience (readers and viewers) to have certain ideas, to be informed about some topics, or even further, to want to buy specific products. An awarness of this concept let me think of strategies that I use in writing and talking. I had vague acknowledgement about purpose of writing and talking but have not thought as to audience and strategy before.
    
  • 
    
  • Describe a recent writing experience or activity where you used rhetoric to effectively convey a message to a specific audience? What was the purpose of the message? Who was the audience? How did you go about appealing to that audience?
  • Recently, I had one of the most special and memorable moment throughout my entire life. That was quitting my job. I was working as an CPA and I was planning to embark on new transition - going to graduate school. Anyway, I wrote a farewell email to my colleagues and bosses at the last day in the office. It was not longer than two paragraphs but it took me more than one hour to write that email. I did not want to be sad or rude, but truly thank for everything we have done together and wish them happiness. Therefore, I tried to write it simple and authentic as much as possible. Did it work? I received dozens of touching replies right after I sent the email and keep in touch with many of them. I guess it worked as I desired.
    
  • 
    
  • In what ways do you see your understanding of rhetoric and the rhetorical situation affecting your future writing projects?
  • ​I think the understanding of rhetoric and the rhetorical situation will affect my future writing project in many ways such as generating ideas, developing strategy to reach out audience and choosing tone and structure of writing. I will put much more impoortance not only on the purpose, but also on the context and the audience.
    
  • 
    
  • The WPA Outcomes lists “Rhetorical Knowledge” first in the list of outcomes areas. What does this say about the importance of rhetorical knowledge to writing? Given your experience of the course so far, how important does rhetorical knowledge seem to writing and the writing process?
    
  • Rhetorical knowledge is vital as we are using it in variety of situations and contexts calling for purposeful shifts in many aspects of writing ,and as we use a variety of technologies to address audience matching to varying rhetorical situations. If we don't have proper rhetorical knowledge, we would not be able to see the strategy a writer chose to deliver his/her audience and figure out why the writer chose to use certain tone, voice, design, medium and so on. Likewise, if we don't understand how rhetoric works in writing, it would be really inefficient and ineffective for us to write anything since we don't know where to head.   
    
  •