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Rhetoric and Literacy. Prepared by Julia Romberger For English 327. What will I discuss in this presentation?. The Rhetorical Triangle Application to All Kinds of Writing Connection to Literacy. Back up! What is rhetoric?.
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Rhetoric and Literacy Prepared by Julia Romberger For English 327
What will I discuss in this presentation? • The Rhetorical Triangle • Application to All Kinds of Writing • Connection to Literacy
Back up! What is rhetoric? • Along with philosophy, it is the oldest academic discipline in Western Tradition (We’re talking 500 B.C., here) It helped Greek politicians make decisions. • This discipline teaches strategies for composing and analyzing texts, visuals, and (as technology changes -- interactivity).
Rhetorical Triangle Context Context
Audience When considering audience the writer needs to determine: • What they already know • What they are interested in knowing • What they need to know
Communicator or Writer A writer needs to be aware of how the audience perceives him/her – the Ethos. Ethos is connected to: • A writer’s authority • A writer’s competence • A writer’s level of formality
Working Ethos How can a writer improve his/her Ethos? • Convincing arguments • Use of adequate evidence and research • Awareness of audience’s needs • Appropriate presentation style for audience
Message and Purpose • A document or message may have one or more purposes: • To earn or maintain good will • To persuade • To inform • To amuse, please, or entertain • The ultimate purpose of most all writing is to effect positive action and improve relations between people.
The Document A document conveys the message and is structured according to a genre such as: • Letters, Reports, Webpages, Power Point Slides For example, an academic document should contain: • Arguments and Rationales • Evidence and Data
Context Context is the situation surrounding the document’s origination. It is linked to: • The need that spurred the writing of the document (dissonance) • The position of the writer relative to the audience • The tone of the location where the document will be read • Expectations of the person(s) who initiated the writing of the document • Developments concerning the topic and the rhetorical situation
Rhetoric is the how: • Helps develop effective, persuasive documents of various types • Helps meet audience’s expectations – teachers, peers, bosses and so forth • Improves individual profiles for school and career
Literacy is the why: • People are motivated to be literate • Motives are informed by historical, societal, and cultural parameters • Literacy is a complex series of interlinked competencies
To be seen as Literate: • A writer will have to understand the rhetorical situation and what is considered appropriate in its • A writer will have to know the genres • A writer might need to know what kind of authority he/she can claim We’ll be talking about this throughout the semester.
To help our discussions: Learn the terms • Context • Audience • Purpose • Genre • Ethos