This article dove into the depths of the terms associated with rhetoric, as well as the complex meaning of rhetoric itself. In doing this, the authors helped identify that such devices such as audience, situation, arrangement, etc., are all necessary components of what rhetoric is. They repeatedly referred back to the ancient philosophers of Aristotle, Socrates, etc., to point out that the definition of rhetoric has been questioned and hard to define since it was born. Along with these references were multiple examples of rhetoric in action, including its involvement in current debates, while all the time keeping the reader fully aware of the necessity of rhetoric, and how important it is for writers especially to deeply understand what it consists of and what it portrays.
In the publication of a book I am currently reading, entitled Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet A. Jacobs, it is easy to see the elements of rhetoric described by Covino and Joliffe, used by Jacobs, as the rhetor. The situation is clearly that slaves are being beaten, starved, abused and mistreated, and still the practice is legal and acceptable. The audience was originally intended to be for the white, non slave owning women of the north, yet has traveled down to the hands of me, a 19 year old college student over 60 years later. The invention is that Jacobs told her account first hand, and included all of the horrific things she both saw and endured. The arrangement was in the order of events, starting with her birth into the slave world, and ending in her escape and the freedom of herself and her children. The style is very straight forward, yet Jacobs still uses language that pulls on the reader’s heartstrings, which helped her gain empathy and understanding. Memory and delivery were not a part of this publication, as it was not given orally. But collectively, I have realized that in all publications, rhetoric can be seen, and how its components influence every part of the publication.
I agree with your interpretation of the text and its relation to emphasizing the necessity of rhetoric as well as its appropriateness within composition. Your overall description of the article is concise and is effective in emphasizing the summary of the article. I particularly like your choice of "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," as I read it for my Women in Literature class and can easily see how this article is applicable. Additionally, I like your example that it has traveled into your hands, therefore encompassing an audience most likely unforeseen in its original creation. Your description of the publication is quite accurate as it relates to my memory of the text, and I remember experiencing a sense of empathy and understanding after reading it as well. Your application of the different elements is great. What do you think the result of the text is that made it withstand time and end up in one of your books? Do you think the rhetoric was effective? Do you think that applying these elements to the magazines from our last class and now this text will encourage you to continue to seek out these elements in further readings?
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