The reading I decided to explore was Perspectives on the Study of Rhetoric by Sonja K. Foss, Karen A. Foss, and Robert Trapp. For starters, I appreciated the organization of this text. It begins with an in-depth overview of the history of rhetoric, then transitions into defining rhetoric, followed by contemporary views on rhetoric, and finally concludes with the rationale behind their choice of contributors. It was easy to follow along and provided a well-rounded introduction to rhetoric.
Personally, I learned a lot from this reading. I find rhetoric to be sometimes difficult to wrap my mind around, as it’s both abstract and concrete. However, it was interesting learning about its history and how the perception of rhetoric has changed over time. For example, Plato believed one of the drawbacks of rhetoric was that it didn’t move listeners (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 4). Similarly, Christianity was initially opposed to rhetoric, viewing it as a pagan art, even though religion itself utilizes rhetoric (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 6). These are things I didn’t know, and I feel that learning about its history provides a better understanding of where rhetoric stands today.
As we move closer to modern-day rhetoric, I enjoyed reading about how, over time, emotion became intertwined with rhetoric. For example, when faculty psychologists identified the five powers of the mind, which led Campbell to connect the definition of rhetoric directly to those five faculties (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 8). Or when James Burgh categorized 71 emotions and their manifestations (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 10). I agree that rhetoric and emotion are closely connected, and when working together, they further purpose and passion.
Even so, I did find some things problematic within its history. Sheridan pursued establishing standardized pronunciations of English, and elocutionists expressed inflexibility in their techniques (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 12). This framework is evident throughout the history of English and has not benefited us in modern-day education. The concept of standardizing English has created a hierarchy, fostering a sense of superiority and inferiority among those outside the inner circle.
When discussing contemporary views of rhetoric, I appreciated how they explained perspective and its importance. “A perspective becomes, in a sense, a set of conceptual lenses through which a person views the phenomenon” (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 14). This line eloquently defines perspective, and this section served as the perfect transition into the explanation of their multiple contributors.
I thought the rationale for the perspectives section was a nice touch. Not only does it demonstrate the authors’ awareness, but it also enhances the contributors’ credibility. The authors didn’t just say they liked these people, and that’s why they were chosen. Instead, readers are provided with summaries of the contributors, which include their contributions to the field and explain why it was important for them to be a part of this.
All in all, this was a thorough reading that provided a wealth of information on rhetoric. Through the sharing of knowledge, I was also able to feel the authors’ passion for the topic, which I appreciated as a reader.
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