Comm 100 Midterm: Rhetoric in Civic Life

Rhetorical Concepts

• Characterizations: Labels and descriptions used by rhetors to define acts, agencies, agents, scenes, and purposes.
• Condensation Symbol: A term or phrase that evokes strong emotions tied to foundational values, prepping the audience for action.

Symbol and Language Usage

• Connotation: The emotional or cultural implications associated with a sign beyond its literal meaning.
• Denotation: The straightforward, objective meaning of a sign without added value.
• Discursive Symbolism: Language organized in a linear fashion that engages reasoning rather than intuition.
• Doublespeak: Language that obfuscates true meanings to confuse rather than clarify.
• Euphemism: Gentle wording intended to soften harsh realities.

Theories of Rhetoric

• Dramatism: An analytical framework viewing language as action and human relationships through symbolic actions.
• Ideograph: An abstract term in political discourse representing a collective commitment to vague yet influential goals.
• Power: Defined as the capacity to enact change or influence outcomes.
• Public Vocabulary: A collection of culturally established terms shaping people's shared understanding.

Agency and Identity

• Rhetorical Agency: The ability to engage in symbolic acts that hold significance within a community.
• Collective Memory: A group’s shared memory that constructs a common understanding beyond individual recollections.
• Posthumanist Theory of Agency: Challenges the notion of humans as primary agents of change, viewing them as part of a larger network.

Symbolic Interpretation

• Negotiated Reading: Acceptance of some dominant meanings while recognizing exceptions; allows for critical engagement with texts.
• Oppositional Reading: Correct decoding of meanings, but challenges them from an adversarial standpoint.
• Truncated Passives: Sentences structured to obscure the agent responsible for action.

Visual Rhetoric

• Iconic Photographs: Images recognized culturally, significant for their historical representation and emotional impact.
• Visual Culture: A pervasive culture characterized by the prominence of visual communication across diverse media.
• Presence: The immediate impact of visuals that engage an audience's consciousness.

Additional Key Concepts

• Semiotics: The study of signs and the meanings they convey in communication.
• Burden of Proof: An obligation to provide sufficient reasoning to support an argument in discussions.
• Narrative Fidelity: Evaluates whether a story's events resonate with an audience's understanding of reality.
• Vivacity: The vividness created by descriptive language that enhances the engagement of ideas.

Historical Roots

• Aristotle's Rhetorical Appeals: Introduced the concepts of ethos (character), pathos (emotion), and logos (reason), fundamental in persuasive rhetoric.
• Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Suggests that linguistic structure influences human perception and understanding of the world.

Noteworthy Phenomena

• Power Dynamics: Michel Foucault highlights how power can become internalized, shaping individuals' perceptions of free will.
• Metaphors in Rhetoric: Metaphorical language, such as "the ship of state," provides new perspectives on concepts and issues.
• Comic Frame: A lens for assessing social truths, distinguishing between viewing others as mistaken versus evil.

Rhetorical Processes

• Resignification: The act of rejecting and reconstructing the connotation of symbols to alter their meanings.
• Symbolic Action: Engaging expressive human actions and mobilizing symbols to effect change.

Engagement and Argumentation

• Civic Engagement: Collective actions taken by people to address and find solutions for social issues within their communities.
• Claim, Data, Warrant: The three essential components of the Toulmin model of argumentation, forming the backbone of logical discourse.