Notes on "Everyday Use"

Late night on Route 66, Somewhere in Arizona. Nick checks the speedometer, slows. He looks over at Kate quickly, then focuses on the road. He clears his throat. Kate stares out her window. The corner of her mouth twitches.

NICK: "So do you think there are many cops on the road?"

KATE: "This time of night?"

NICK: (SPEEDING UP) "Well... guess not."

Kate reaches for the radio buttons. He reaches at the same time. Their fingers touch.

NICK AND KATE: (AT ONCE) "Sorry."

NICK: "I mean... for the radio."

KATE: "Me too."

Kate looks out the window again. She begins to hum with the radio. Nick looks over at her again, longer this time. He begins to hum too. She turns to him now. He slows the car.

NICK: So, do you still want to go to the Grand Canyon?"

Why can this be interpreted? Because of rhetoric of course! :D (No, seriously...)

The book says that these two just suffer from an argument and don't want to be the first one to apologize. Hmmm... I thought they were just an awkward couple being dumb or something. Shows how much I know, anyway........

Rhetoric has a meaning that negatively stereotyped as something lacking any substance. Rhetoric is thought of as a tool to persuade audiences to do bad things or to follow blindly certain agendas. This also implies that the stereotype suggests that a speaker who is described as using rhetoric suggests that he/she is just full of hot air with nothing to say.

ACTUAL DEFINITION: (According to the packet)
Rhetoric: An everyday art, which humans use to process all messages that are sent and received. This is apparently the reason why writers and readers can communicate effectively. Can also be:
     -The art of analyzing all the language choices that writer, speaker, reader, or listener might make in a given situation so that the text becomes meaningful, purposeful, and effective.
     -The specific features of texts, written or spoken, that cause them to be meaningful, purposeful, and effective for readers or listeners in a given situation.

" I want to be... the very best!"

What it means to be good at Rhetoric:

     -Being skilled at rhetoric means being able to make good speeches and write good papers, but it also means having the ability to read other people's compositions and listen to their spoken words with a discerning eye and a critical ear.
     -Being skilled at rhetoric means reading not only to understand the main and supporting points of what someone writes but also to analyze the decision the rhetor makes as he/she works to accomplish a purpose for a specific audience.
     -Being skilled at rhetoric means being able to plan and write compositions, not just write them.
     -Being skilled at rhetoric means being able to examine a situation--in school, in your community, in society as a whole-- and determine what has already been said and written, what remains unresolved, and what you might say or write to continue the conversation or persuade readers to take action.

Again the Rhetorical Triangle comes up (Speaker <-> Audience <-> Subject)

When developing rhetorical stuffs, one must consider three elements:

- The subject and the kinds of evidence used to develop it
- The audience--their knowledge, ideas, attitudes, and beliefs
- The character of the rhetor--in particular, how the rhetor might use his or her personal character effectively in the text

6 Keys to developing skill with rhetoric: 

The Easy Ones:
1.) Understanding Persona
Voice
Tone

2.) Understanding Appeals to an Audience
Logos
Ethos
Pathos

3.) Understanding Subjects


The Harder Ones:
4.) Understanding Context
Purpose
-- WHY ?!? --
 
5.) Understanding Intention

6.) Understanding Genre