A. Foss defines rhetoric in many ways. One particular way he describes this term is "...empty, bombastic language that has no substance."(Foss 3) Foss also explains how rhetorical speech has dated back to the fifth century B.C. Foss demonstrates how rhetorical speech was used in types of communication. Also, Foss describes the three primary uses of rhetoric. they include: "(1) humans as the creators of rhetoric; (2) symbols as the medium for rhetoric; and (3) communication as the purpose of rhetoric." (Foss 4)
Rhetoric, in my own words, can be described as a way a person speaks to create a mood, or feeling in their dialect. One would use rhetorical speech to make their story more interesting, or change a mood to make it more appealing. Also, dictators and/or politicians could use this form of speaking and writing to "grab" the readers or peoples attention.
After learning about rhetorical terms, one strong example of this form of language is as followed:
Instead of a writer simply saying,"the man ran down the street to hide from a killer.", they could use,"The desperate man frantically ran down the road, as he made a astonishing escape from the cold blood killer."
B. One definition of Rhetoric i liked was: Rhetoric is one of the arts of using language as a mean to persuade.
Another definition i liked was: The art of speaking and writing effectively.
Definition sources: 1) http://en.wikipedia.ork/wiki/Rhetoric
2) http://mw1.meriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhetoric
Perry, I like the examples-how you changed the basic meaning into another meaning through word choice. But I gotta know--do you think rhetoric is limited to words?
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