Rhetoric and the Public Sphere
As the iconic co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc., and the innovator responsible for revolutionizing the way humanity communicates in the modern world, Steve Jobs was uniquely positioned to understand the immense persuasive power of rhetorical ability. Throughout his storied career Jobs' reputation for effectively communicating visionary ideas was exceeded only by his preternatural ability to persuade, shaping public perception and convincing consumers time and time again that the latest Apple product was an essential addition to their lifestyle. When Jobs took the stage to deliver his now legendary commencement address to the 2005 graduating class at Stanford University, the late multimedia mogul responsible for the Macintosh personal computer, iPod, iPhone, iPad, along with a wide array of similarly groundbreaking advances in computing technology, was poised to present his own life as an allegory for the dogged pursuit of one's personal passion. In doing so, Jobs epitomized the concept of the epideictic oratory, or "ceremonial speech which assigns praise or blame and is concerned with the present" (Dawkins, 2013), as conceived by Aristotle in his Rhetoric, the original discourse dedicated to forming theoretical foundations for rhetorical speech. By carefully constructing a logical basis for his overriding assertion that pursuing one's passion should be prioritized over purely educational goals, while also interspersing his speech with effective emotional appeals based on anecdotes from his own life, Jobs successfully exploited several methods of persuasion to evoke intense responses from his audience.
Delivered amidst the backdrop of one of America's premier institutions of higher learning, Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, the specific setting of Jobs' signature speech can rightfully be considered to be a rhetorical technique all its own. Located near Silicon Valley, which stands as the locus point of the ongoing digital revolution, Stanford University has long been a breeding ground for students aspiring to become programmers, software developers, online entrepreneurs, or technology moguls, and in 2005 Jobs' reign as the ruler of the computing technology realm was undisputed. With Apple...
Rhetoric in Great Speeches Cultural / Ideological Analysis Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) is credited by objective scholars and historians as having brought the United States out of the Great Depression, and as having guided the United States through the difficult and dangerous period during World War II. FDR was fiercely challenged by members of Congress when he was working to dig the country out of the Great Depression with his "New Deal."
While these are some of the more famous elements of rhetorical theory, they do not require extensive discussion here for two reasons. Firstly, they are fairly well-known. Secondly, and more importantly, they actually do not provide much insight into the uses of rhetoric, because Aristotle implicitly inserts an ethics into his discussion of rhetoric that precludes it from having as robust an application to the real world as would
Aristotle & Cicero on Rhetoric As children we are conditioned to a particular form of discourse that is framed by a significantly complex set of variables including our culture, gender, ethnicity, birth order, political identity and power, religion, and personality. How we employ words, in what context, and with what relative level of effectiveness is determined by all of these factors and more. Rhetoric is, however effectively argued over, a tool
rhetoric in modern day proceedings, the topic will reflect the modern day influence that rhetoric has on governmental processes from decision making to laws that are passed in Congress. The paper shall deal with the importance of rhetoric in modern day proceedings, with its influence on governmental processes from decision making by Presidents to that of the Congress, The paper shall argue that rhetoric is far moved away from reality. The
Vernacular Rhetoric has an element of discussion which ensures that there is hope of better and newer social circumstances to emerge as the ideologies behind social movements keep changing. The combination of Rhetoric and vernahas yielded the momentous Theory of Vernacular Rhetoric which embodies the teachings of persuasive use of inherent and familiar tongues to offer resistance by persons to bring social change. References Amos, R. (1969). House Form and Culture.
On the other hand, the need to promote productivity exerts pressure in favor of incentive schemes that have the foreseen consequence of material inequality (Ibid., 8). Yet, none of these policies exist in a vacuum -- instead, the synthesis of economic tendrils and market fluctuations act in congruence to a larger paradigm of causality -- one that takes on an almost philosophical regimine. This ideology would be little more than
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now