Rhetorical Criticism Test 1

Front 1

What are some negative (and from our perspective, wrong) associations with the word “rhetoric?”

Back 1

Spin/Bias/Fooling
The opposite of Action
Vague, empty
Ornamentation, flowery

Front 2

What is Foss's definition of rhetoric?

Back 2

HUMANS using SYMBOLS for the PURPOSES OF COMMUNICATING.

Front 3

What does it mean to say that humans are the creators of rhetoric?

Back 3

As far as we know, Humans are the only animal who create a substantial part of their reality through the use of symbols. Every symbolic choice we make results in seeing the world one way rather than another.

Front 4

What does it mean to say that symbols are the medium for rhetoric?

Back 4

Symbols are things that stand for others things. We use them to make sense of the world. Symbols are arbitrary but agreed upon.

Front 5

What does it mean to say that communication is the purpose of rhetoric? What are four communicative purposes of rhetoric?

Back 5

1. We communicate to invite understanding
2. To persuade
3. As a way of knowing ourselves
4. Defines reality

Front 6

What does Foss mean when she says that rhetoric “tells us what reality is”?

Back 6

Our reality is based on how we choose to label and talk about things. Symbols affect the way we view and perceive the world.

Front 7

What is Foss's definition of criticism?

Back 7

Criticism consists of the SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS focuses on ACTS AND ARTIFACTS with the PURPOSE OF CRITICISM

Front 8

What is “systematic analysis” and how does it enable us to explain rhetoric?

Back 8

-Evidence
-Methods of Evaluation
-Evaluations/Judgments

Front 9

What is the difference between rhetorical acts and rhetorical artifacts?

Back 9

Artifacts: any tangible evidence of rhetorical act

Front 10

What are four purposes of rhetorical criticism, according to Foss?

Back 10

(1) to make a contribution to rhetorical theory
(2) Learn more about the artifact itself
(3)We may become better rhetors
(4) We may become more educated and discerning audience members

Front 11

What is Plato’s theory of the forms?

Back 11

forms: it is the idea that everything has an ideal form (ideal essence of something)

Front 12

What is Plato’s allegory of the cave?

Back 12

Humanity resides at the bottom of the cave. Cold, dark, moist and trapped. People were not very good. People build a fire in the cave that gives off a soft and dim light. Forms exist outside of the cave. People cannot see forms outside of the cave but we know that they exist. Sometimes a form flies by the mouth of the cave and leaves a shadow. Sometimes people are able to get out of the cave (over the wall). However when they see the outside they “cant handle the truth.” Either that or they go back and tell others what they have seen.

Front 13

What is Plato’s vision of truth?

Back 13

1. Truth is absolute
2. Truth is unchanging
3. Truth is difficult for people to know or apprehend.
4. People’s perceptions of truth change

Front 14

What is Plato’s vision of rhetoric?

Back 14

1. Invariably bad
2. Rhetors cannot be trusted (because they do now know the truth)

Front 15

What are two important Sophistic ideas?

Back 15

1. For every argument there is an equal and opposite argument
2. Humanity is the measure of all things (people make all decisions)

Front 16

What is the Sophists’ view of rhetoric?

Back 16

1. Rhetoric is necessary
2. Rhetoric, ideally, is responsible

Front 17

What is Aristotle’s view on truth and rhetoric?

Back 17

Aristotle believes that the truth exists and that rhetoric helps it to emerge.

Aristotle’s definition of rhetoric: the faculty for discovering the available means of persuasion in a given situation.

Front 18

What are important considerations in selecting an artifact?

Back 18

should be something you really like or dislike, something that baffles or puzzles you, or something you cant explain *****

Front 19

What is involved in analyzing an artifact?

Back 19

Formulating research questions and writing the essay ****

Front 20

What is Bitzer’s rhetorical situation? How does it define rhetoric?

Back 20

Rhetoric is what is produced in response to the rhetorical situation

Front 21

What are the following components of Bitzer’s rhetorical situation?

Back 21

1. Exigence: (1) the situation of imperfection marked by urgency (2)that can be modified through discourse.
2. Audience: (1) people who are capable of being influenced by the discourse (2) who can help modify the exigence.
3. Constraints: anything that affects the audience’s ability to modify the exigence. These can be positive or negative, tangible or intangible.

Front 22

What is Vatz’s response to Bitzer’s rhetorical situation?

Back 22

had an issue with the idea that rhetorical situations were recognized by rhetors, he believed rhetors create rhetorical situations.

Front 23

What is the function of literary criticism, according to Herbert Wichelns?

Back 23

Literary criticism , according to Herbert Wichelns , is more concerned with the evaluation of the wisdom , the beauty and the truth that is contained in great works of fiction that have been produced over the ages (Jamieson and Campbell 149 . Rhetorical criticism , on the other hand , is more concerned or focused on the assessment of the persuasive effect on society of such situated oratories

Front 24

What happens in each of the parts of a neo-Aristotelian criticism?

Back 24

1. Reconstruct the context
2. Analyzing the text
3. Analyzing the affects

Front 25

Reconstructing the context (in which the rhetorical artifact occurred.)

Back 25

what was the rhetor's goals? the climate?

Front 26

Analyzing the Text (Applying the five canons of rhetoric to the artifact.)

Back 26

i. Invention
Ethos (including moral character, intelligence, and good will)
Pathos
Logos
ii. Organization
iii. Style
iv. Delivery
v. Memory

Front 27

Invention

Back 27

Invention - “the speakers major line of arguments or ideas.” Any time a speaker gives a speech there are three forms of proof:
Ethos
Pathos
and Logos

Front 28

Ethos (including moral character, intelligence, and good will)

Back 28

Ethos: “Credibility of the rhetor/what the rhetor brings to the speech.” Aristotle broke up Ethos into three dimensions (all three are relative to the audience and the topic… Ideally you want to be as strong in all of these as possible):


1) Good sense: does the rhetor have expertise in what they are talking about. (Cite your sources. Personal experience.)

2) Good Will: does the rhetor have the best interest of the audience in mind.

3) Good moral character: does the rhetor reflect the values of the audience.

Front 29

Pathos

Back 29

Pathos - “Appeals to the emotion of the audience/what the audience brings to a speech.”

You can get people’s attention through fear/harmony/ sorrow/ perseverance/ pride... Pretty much anything. You want to meet somewhere in the middle because too strong can turn people off. Adds for starving children, abused animals.

Front 30

Logos

Back 30

Logos - “The logic of the speech/ the speech itself.”


Aristotle’s contribution to the study of Logos was:
Inductive Reasoning: arguing specific to general. (A specific person did something and deserve to be put to death, so therefore there should be capital punishment. In this instance, Aristotle warns that you want to have enough specific cases to make the argument. He said you also want to make sure they are representative)
Deductive Reasoning: arguing from a large general claim to a specific case. (I believe no one has the right to take another’s life, even in the case of murder)

Front 31

Organization

Back 31

The arrangement or structure of a speech.

Front 32

Style

Back 32

Deals with the language used by the rhetor.

Front 33

Delivery

Back 33

Concerned with the speaker's manner of presentation.

Front 34

Memory

Back 34

The control of the materials of the speech and the relation of memory to the mode of presentation.

Front 35

Analyzing the affect (Assessing effects of the rhetorical artifact.)

Back 35

Short Term Effects
Long Term Effects

Front 36

What were Hussein's three major logical arguments? (invention)

Back 36

If I can take an action, we can presume it is supported by Allah. Kuwait had long been part of Iraq (reclaiming territory). Western societies are evil.

Front 37

How did Hussein try to establish ethos?

Back 37

Good Sense - Quotes the Qur’an.
Good Will - Qur’an. Calls the Audience his brothers.
Good Moral Character - Qur’an.

Front 38

How did Hussein try to generate pathos?

Back 38

Patriotism and Religious Pride. Talks about the issues of the Arab region. Apologizes for talking about this in the presence of women. Discusses the holy war.

Front 39

What type of organization did Hussein use?

Back 39

Opens with a quote from the Qur’an, praises the courage of the Iraqi people, talks about how they are going to be victorious, western societies are evil, Arab states should come together (in that order).

Front 40

How does Brown describe the style of Hussein’s speeches?

Back 40

Hussein speaks in a classic Arabic style. All levels of society can understand (widest audience). Because he can communicate with everyone it reinforces his ethos.

Front 41

How does Brown describe the delivery of Hussein’s speeches?

Back 41

it was written and not memorized. He was passionate sounding, and very energetic. The wording was very carefully chosen.

Front 42

How did Nixon develop ethos, pathos and logos? (Checkers Speech)

Back 42

Good Sense: Makes us feel like he knows the appropriate uses of the funds. Points finger.

Good Will: Wants to give the audience confidence in himself. Says he wants to tell the truth. Claims the money went for things so they wouldn’t be charged to the “American Tax payers.” Shows that his family is important because he wants to keep the dog, Checkers.

Good Moral Character: Claims that what he did was wrong, if it went to him for personal expenses, but says that it went only for political expenses. Fighting in the war.

Pathos Appeals: Talking about the dog, and the common man

Logos: Talks about records that would prove his innocence. Independent audit. Complete financial history

Front 43

How would you analyze Nixon’s style? (Checkers Speech)

Back 43

Style: Felt like he was talking directly to you. He was not being wordy, he was being clear and very easy to understand.

Front 44

How would you analyze Nixon’s delivery?(Checkers Speech)

Back 44

Very formal: sitting at a desk in a suit. Very fluent for a live speech for the day. Nixon looks concerned but not guilty. The fact that it is live and so we know it wasn’t recorded.

Front 45

What was the historical and rhetorical context of Richard Nixon's “Vietnamization” speech?

Back 45

Everyone took a stand on Vietnam and how to get the soldiers out of Vietnam.

1969 Oct. 15th Moratorium Day - sitting down on the job to protest the war. All these demonstrations would occur worldwide. Two days before, the White House announced that Nixon was going to deliver a speech on Vietnam. On Nov. 3rd.

Front 46

What were possible options about ending or continuing the Vietnam War that Nixon discussed (and could have discussed) in the speech?

Back 46

Immediate withdrawal, fixed schedule withdrawal, escalation (sending in more troops), negotiation (we tried). He settles on Vietnamization. (training the south Vietnamese to take over their own defense)

Front 47

What were Hill's general conclusions about Nixon's speech?

Back 47

1. The speech is designed for the middle of the road audience (silent majority) - silent majority marginalizes the rest of americans.
2. The speech was crafted by a superior technician (speech was successful)

Front 48

What are three things that neo-Aristotelian criticism does not account for, according to Hill?

Back 48

1. Wisdom of the choice of target audience

2. Whether or not a policy is politically viable

3. The estimated truth of the rhetor’s statement

Front 49

What are some limitations of neo-Aristotelian criticism, according to Foss and class discussion?

Back 49

1. Is effect the best measure of a speech
2. Neo-Aristotelian Criticism presumes a rational bias
3. Neo-Aristotelian criticism presumes a discursive bias
4. One rhetor and one speech at a time
5. Only “Significant” Speeches
6. Can be mechanical

Front 50

What is genre or generic criticism?

Back 50

Generic criticism seeks to discover commonalities in rhetorical patterns across recurring situations.

Front 51

What are the situational requirements of genre?

Back 51

the perception that conditions in a situation call forth a particular kind of response.

(In eulogies we expect people to talk about grief, the greatness of the individual, hope for the future. Commencement speeches also talk about the future.)

Front 52

What are the substantive requirements of genre?

Back 52

Substantive requirements: features of the rhetoric itself
(not based on the situation itself. Example: humor: Richard‘s speech isn’t funny because she is giving a eulogy (situation) but because she injects humor. Fear appeals: sermons, class lectures, presidential campaign speeches… no particular situation calls on a fear appeal)

Front 53

What are Aristotle’s rhetorical categories?

Back 53

1. Forensic rhetoric: rhetoric concerning the past; legal rhetoric
2. Epideictic rhetoric: rhetoric concerning the present; ceremonial rhetoric
3. Deliberative rhetoric: rhetoric concerning the future; political rhetoric

Front 54

What are two reasons to engage in generic criticism?

Back 54

1. Rhetorical critics can understand social reality and its relationship to rhetoric.
2. Critics who study genres can see how rhetorical acts influence each other and how rhetoric is shaped by prior rhetoric.

Front 55

What are the types of generic criticism?

Back 55

1. Generic description: does a genre exist?
2. Generic participation: does a certain artifact belong in any established genre?
3. Generic application: according to an already established genre, how can we evaluate a particular text?

Front 56

What are the situational similarities and differences between Ann Richards’ eulogy and Robert Kennedy’s eulogy?

Back 56

One death was expected, the other was a shock. They were both mourning public figures.

Front 57

What is apologia?

Back 57

a kind of argument, a defense one writes to explain and justify actions beliefs or opinions

Front 58

What is the apologia strategy of denial?

Back 58

Denial - the speaker disavows the act of wrongdoing, the contention that an action was wrong, or the intent to do something wrong

Front 59

What is the apologia strategy of bolstering?

Back 59

Bolstering: the speaker tries to emphasize a positive relationship between herself or himself and something the audience values

Front 60

What is the apologia strategy of differentiation?

Back 60

the speaker tries to get the audience to view the act in a new and different context

Front 61

What is the apologia strategy of transcendence?

Back 61

the speaker tries to associate perceived wrongdoing with a higher goal or purpose.

Front 62

According to Nelson, what apologia strategies did Billie Jean King use in her defense?

Back 62

Bolstering: spouse, wanting children, parents coming forward
Differentiation: yes I had this relationship, but no I am not gay

Front 63

According to Nelson, what apologia strategies did Billie Jean King’s peers use in defense of King?

Back 63

Bolstered also: she fought for women to get equal pay and treatment
Transcendence: Is being gay really that wrong? She has a right to privacy.