Essay On Rhetoric

The first time I was introduced to the concept of “rhetoric”, I was in my freshmen year in college, studying Greek and Roman cultures in a humanities class. If I’m not mistaken, I think it was one of three classes that young adults had to take in order to become politicians or do important tasks in the Greek/Roman aristocracy. Early rhetoricians were Plato and Aristotle, who both wrote about what’s rhetoric, which notions are still used today.
I see rhetoric as a powerful tool, an effective way of speaking and writing. The transmitter can persuade, influence, and manipulate the receiver of the message with a good use of rhetoric. Rhetoric can be seen also as a way to achieve certain goals, taking for example politicians in election period. Their speeches, writings, and debates go towards a goal and purpose: to persuade the voter to elect the candidate.
I also consider rhetoric an art. It’s a powerful tool if you know how to employ it. In order to be a good rhetorician (or to develop certain skills in the area) you should have a good knowledge of the language, know how to articulate, choose carefully words and phrases, being concise and to the point. You must know how to be effective and understandable, but persuasive and convincing enough to engage your recipient in what you are saying; almost like “selling a message”. Not many people have the talent and few people try to develop it.
Rhetoric has many uses today and the best examples are politicians. On the news everyday we can hear how they have a way with words, just to get out of any situation possible, saying everything in a pretty way, so that people can “buy” some of the things that they say. An example of a politician who knew how to employ words in a powerful manner was Luis Muñoz Marin, known for the speeches that rallied thousands of people to elect him 3 times governor of Puerto Rico.
In the college world, professors and students make use of rhetoric. Professors have to interest students into what he/she is saying; they have to hold their interest using words and phrases that can capture attention. Professors have to sound persuasive and convincing to get the students notice and interested. We, students, also make use of rhetoric, but we don’t know that it is called like that. We try to choose words, phrases, and clauses to make our essays persuasive, convincing, and interesting without loosing focus of what we are writing and the message that been trying to get across. With our personal statements for grad school happens the same thing.
Other people that have a need for rhetoric are attorneys. Without this recourse, they might even loose a case in court. They need to have certain domain of the language and wits to convince the judge and court of whatever they’re saying. Rhetoric also applies to debate and how to argument or defend oneself or others in any determined situation.
Rhetoric is the art of communication, a practical and useful tool to be employed in certain situations. I think is present in everyday life, because I see it as a way of saying thoughts and things in a fancier or prettier manner than we may usually say. It has its characteristics, like persuasion and influence, but, again, those are present in everyday life; is in how we use it that makes a difference.