A large group of modern scholars view the idea of Contrastive Rhetoric as biased and outdated. Kaplan’s ideas were criticized from the outset and are now widely disregarded. Several of the critiques of CR are based on Kaplan’s view of culture being homogenous and static. Critics argue that rhetorical styles interact with and influence one another, reasoning that boundaries between the rhetorical styles of different languages and cultures are much less rigid than Kaplan presumed (Li 104). Contrastive Rhetoric, according to Wang’s criticism of Kaplan’s work, sees culture as something that is fixed, unchanging, and based on national boundaries (141). In light of the increasing trend toward globalization and the interaction of cultures with one another, she argues for a change in the way culture and cultural contrasts are viewed. Cultural convergence theory contends that, because of our increasing ability to communicate with people of different nations and backgrounds, cultures themselves are actually changing and becoming more like …show more content…
The idea of trying to impose one’s own rhetorical style on people of other cultures is seen to be somewhat self-centered and even post-colonial (Li 2). Kachru agrees with Kaplan that non-native writers of English should learn the rhetorical preferences of the language. However, he suggests placing equal value on teaching the preferred rhetorical conventions of the different users of English to native speakers of English. Linguistic patterns are connected to the principles of a society. He argues that not all users of English are going to adopt the values of Anglo-American society, and neither should they be required to adopt its rhetorical style. Imposing rigid guidelines about what constitutes good writing not only keeps a large part of the world from contributing to academic fields, but also silences the unique voices of users of English throughout the world
According to Helen Sword (2012 pg.48), “A carefully crafted sentence welcomes its reader like a comfortable rocking chair” and “helps its reader navigate tricky terrain like a well-hewn walking stick”. Therefore, varying styles and methods of sentences are an important construct in the written language. Hence through examining Julia Gillard’s and Rebecca Sloan’s use of sentence structure and grammar, this rhetorical analysis will attempt to explore how differing mediums and cultural contexts of writers portrays their credibility which are effectively used to convey a particular agenda to their intended audience.
In Florence Kelley's speech to the people attending the NAWSA convention, she uses emotional appeal to motivate her audience to convince their male counterparts to legalize voting for women, and also to persuade the males to help put an end to child labor.
Poulakos points out that “style is an inescapable reality of speech, one that must be attended to necessarily” (27). Style, in the way he explains, focuses on the effective employment of language, which indicates the rhetor’s unique and personal style. It is through practice and understanding of rhetoric that we develop our style – we can craft our style based on the situation and in an effort to continue to refine. Style is also essential to ethos. Poulakos notes, “style betrays the speaker’s unique grasp of language and becomes the particular expression of his personality” (27). In a kairotic moment, the rhetor seizes the opportunity to highlight a particular facet of his or her skill.
David Foster Wallace, author of the essay “Authority and American Usage*,” praises and advocates for “good” writers who have a strong rhetorical ability, which he defines as “the persuasive use of language to influence the thoughts and actions of an audience” (Wallace 628). To have a strong rhetorical ability, an author needs to be aware of whom their audience is, in order to present their information in a way that will be influential on their audience. Wallace recognizes that an author who applies a strong rhetorical ability will be able to connect with the audience so that they respond “not just to [their] utterance but also to [them]” (Wallace 641). An author needs to take into consideration not just content, syntax and grammatical structure (their “utterance”) but also how their character will be perceived by their audience. A positive tone will make the author seem more pleasant and relatable, whereas a negative tone connotes arrogance and pretentiousness. That is why it is crucial for an author to recognize that an audience will respond to “them” and not just their “utterance,” as an author’s appearance to their readers can also shape how impactful their writing is.
Despite the warnings of Orwell through both his essay and dystopian novel, bad English is still used today, and could be argued to affect more English than it did during Orwell’s life. The consequences are also just as he predicted, those who control the language are able to wield control over the thoughts of others. The usage of poor quality English by media has he effect of making the recipients of news more detached from events and as a consequence, more self-focused. The clumsiness and foolishness imposed by bad English ultimately degrading thought, politics, culture, and society is what Orwell had foretold. This is the English tragedy that is disregarded, modern thoughts of “English” are not of language but of the English Queen.
Simon emphases the significance of knowing, and using proper English, as well as keeping it alive. He proposes ways to sharpen the brain, which will result in a greater sense of discipline and memory. Simon also notes that everything we do is done with words, therefore, English is viewed as an essential to everyday life. The accurate use of rhetorical devices in this article are just one of many examples on how good English can help a person on a day to day basis. Despite Simon’s knowledge of proper English, the remainder of Americans must train themselves so that they may also achieve correct usage of the English
The author’s main argument in “Rhetoric: Making Sense of Human Interaction and Meaning-Making” is that rhetoric does not need to be complicated if writers incorporate certain elements to their writing. Downs further analyzed the elements that contribute to rhetoric such as symbols and signals, motivation, emotion, ecology, reasoning and identification. The author emphasized that writers can learn how to deliver their writing effectively once they are more aware on how rhetoric works. Downs constantly assures that rhetoric is quite simple and does not need to provoke fuzziness. Even though the term rhetorical is applied to everything, the author of the article made it clear that the “rhetorical” thing is situated. The example provided by the author in this article, further guides our understanding on what rhetoric
This essay opens the minds of people to see that perfect writing is not always the perfect thing. Murray’s essay would interest almost every person who has been a student and taken an English class. Most
Harris, Robert A. Writing with Clarity and Style: A Guide to Rhetorical Devices for Contemporary Writers. Los Angeles, CA: Pyrczak Pub., 2003. Print.
King, Robert D. “Should English Be the Law?” 1996. The Presence of Others. Comp. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 90-102. Print.
Birk and Birk explore the many processes that automatically and often unintentionally, take place during the gathering of knowledge and expression through words. In their book Birk and Birk break the usage of words into sections: Selection, Slanting by the use of emphasis, slanting by selection of facts, and slanting by the use of charged words. When words are used this way they reveal naturally occurring bias of the writer. Upon reviewing the selection from Birk and Birk’s book Understanding and Using Language it is clear that the essay written by Jake Jameson has examples of every principal Birk and Birk discuss. The Birk and Birk selection provides us with a set of tools that enable us to detect bias in the many forms that it takes. These tools reveal what Jamieson favors and make plain the bias present in his essay The English-Only movement: Can America Proscribe Language With a Clean Conscience?
Throughout this essay, Orwell acts as a teacher and does not ridicule the writers. His writing is to inform the reader of the problem, the reasons why the language has become ugly, and the bad habits of writing. He used specific examples and goes on to give his solution to bring English writing and speaking back to a clear, concise, honest work.
George Orwell’s essay, Politics and the English Language, first published in 1946, talks about some “bad habits”, which have driven the English language in the wrong direction, that is, away from communicating ideas. In his essay he quotes five passages, each from a different author, which embody the faults he is talking about. He lists dying metaphors, operators, pretentious diction, and meaningless words as things to look out for in your own writing and the writing of others (593-595). He talks about political uses of the English language. Our language has become ugly and the ugliness impedes upon communication. Ugly uses of language have been reinforced and passed down in the population “even among people who should and do know better,” (598). Ugly language has been gaining ground in our population by a positive feedback mechanism.
This forces cultures to influence each other. The. Therefore, problems must become worldly rather than then isolated the issues. This means the new vision must encompass worldly ideals into a mesh pot with old ideals. I will explore many isolated cultural views throughout the paper, which blend with new worldly views.
Globalization is becoming one of the most controversial topics in today’s world. We see people arguing over the loss of a nation’s cultural identity, the terror of westernization, and the reign of cultural imperialism. Through topics such as these we explore the possibilities or the existence of hybridization of cultures and values, and what some feel is the exploitation of their heritage. One important aspect that is not explored is that such influences can also be more than just a burden and an overstepping of bounds. These factors can create an educational environment as well as a reaffirmation of one’s own culture.