“A Rhetoric of Motives” Kenneth Burke &
“How Ought We to Understand the Concept of Rhetorical Agency? Report from the ARS” Cheryle Geisler
Putting these two articles together allowed me to see the progression of how the discourse surrounding rhetoric changed. From Burke’s traditional approach to the modern approach (which seems to wonder in and of itself why are we doing this?), I would say I prefer Burke’s approach because, in a sense, it doesn’t matter what other people think about what you do. If one is content with thinking about the powers of persuasion, then by all means, there is no reason to question oneself.
The excerpt from “A Rhetoric of Motives” explains the idea of opinion as an essential part of rhetoric. Burke explains why this is true by connecting to the idea of identification. One way that Burke emphasizes this point is by citing Aristotle’s assertion that
We should consider the audience before whom we are thus passing judgement, for it’s hard to praise Athenians when you are talking to Lacedaemonians
Burke, 55
I have personally seen this to be true. As a Religious Education teacher at my home parish, I teach 6th grade students. I have to know my audience because I love talking about my faith, but for tweens who are not as passionate, if at all, as I am, I need to take into account their potential disinterest, and thus simplify the topics at hand. The class is held at 7 pm on a Tuesday. They are already tired from their day at school, and to come to a classroom when it is dark outside is a lot to ask. But, they keep coming! Anyway, I would teach the class differently if it were high schoolers because they are a bit older and are, in theory, more mature. If I were to one day teach a college-level course (which will probably never happen anyway), I would dive even deeper into the material.
And so, the question I present for this text is: Is there ever a time when you should disregard the audience in order to get your message across? If you said yes, why?
Cheryl Geisler’s text basically summated the issue of rhetorical agency as relevant and useful. The section that stood out to me the most was when she speaks on who has the ability to exercise this agency. She points out that
…rhetorical agency is not universally available to all members of society, but we also make a commitment to developing rhetoric in a way that will account for rather than ignore this disparity.
Geisler, 14
To me, this whole essay just oozes with elitism. This small group of 40 people gathered around to talk about an abstract concept. However, after further thought, the questions arise: What gives the scholars mentioned in the essay authority? Why should the world care about this topic when there are greater issues at hand, such as homelessness, mental health unawareness, and health insurance expenses?
May you experience love and light,
Theresa
Caritas et Lux 