At the beginning of the semester, my conception of rhetoric included only a narrow range of situations and forms of speech. I thought of civic life as a political term, which applied to voting and protests, but nothing I would do in my everyday life. Throughout the length of this course, I realized that those two terms encompass a lot of the content I consume and my own daily communication. Learning about the characteristics of rhetoric, seeing examples and analyzing messages made me aware of just how it influences the way people view the world. Ironically, this course has also lead me to become somewhat paranoid, always thinking about how others are trying to manipulate me.
For example, I remember struggling with the assigned blog post about the rhetorical strategies employed in an advertisement. I watched the “Dawn Saves Wildlife” ad and thinking afterwards that it was well put together, the animals were cute and it made we want to buy Dawn dish soap. But why did the ad have such a strong effect on me? Could it have been the cute animals? And what did our instinctive protectiveness toward the animals say about our society? The answers to these questions came more easily than I expected because I incorporate them in my conversations. When I want to convince my parents, I tell them about how my request will help me become a better student or person. I take into account the societal expectation that parents should help their children’s development and provide for them. I preemptively express my gratitude because they like feeling needed.
It surprised me that things as ordinary as sappy ads and parental persuasion could employ the same strategies used by our opinion leaders. In a free system, whether a free market or a representative democracy, persuasion forms the foundation of our interactions. Since Dawn has competitors and legally can’t compel customers to pay for its product, it pulls our heartstrings to get at our wallets. Similarly, I can’t force my parents to do whatever I want. The pervasiveness of persuasion, in some ways, has made me accustomed at analyzing rhetoric without even realizing it.
As I prepare to enter adulthood, I understand the importance of being able to detect the underlying messages in rhetoric so I can make informed decisions. I also anticipate using many of these strategies to effectively communicate my ideas.