As we conclude Toye’s short introduction to what we define as rhetoric, we end in the present. Toye talks about how rhetoric has developed with us and we dove into an age of instant communication and connection to one another. The introduction to these new technology came along with a lot of anxiety and suspicion. In some aspects rhetoric took a turn for the worst. Psychological manipulation is now at our fingertips and we must be aware of how and when we use and listen to it. Personally, I think rhetoric is a very powerful tool that we should be teaching our kids from a young age. One of the reason our society struggles so much with the concept is because we have a hard time identifying it, and when we do we are offended that someone would try to manipulate us. If we could take this stigma out and teach ourselves to understand, identify, and acknowledge rhetoric I think we could have an easier time. I think rhetoric has entered into a darker time, but it is something that can be fixed through education and understanding. If we can identify it we can take away the “shock”
After reading this last chapter my questions are:
- How can we take steps to educate ourselves about rhetoric before we feel it is an intimidating thing?
- What is the next thing that will change the way we use rhetoric like technology did?
Picture:https://www.pinterest.com/BookOblivion/visual-rhetoric/?lp=true
Toye, Richard (2013). Rhetoric: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. [Chapter 4 & conclusion]
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