Rhetoric
Many scholars have defined rhetoric. Consider the following:
Plato: [Rhetoric] is the "art of enchanting the soul." (The art of winning the soul by discourse.)
Aristotle: Rhetoric is "the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion."
Cicero: "Rhetoric is one great art comprised of five lesser arts: inventio, dispositio, elocutio, memoria, and pronunciatio." Rhetoric is "speech designed to persuade."
We will be studying and applying the principles of effective communication including figurative language, argumentation, persuasion, and other compositional techniques.
Plato: [Rhetoric] is the "art of enchanting the soul." (The art of winning the soul by discourse.)
Aristotle: Rhetoric is "the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion."
Cicero: "Rhetoric is one great art comprised of five lesser arts: inventio, dispositio, elocutio, memoria, and pronunciatio." Rhetoric is "speech designed to persuade."
We will be studying and applying the principles of effective communication including figurative language, argumentation, persuasion, and other compositional techniques.
Visual Rhetoric....what is it?
Hopefully, you are already familiar with the term "rhetoric." (If not, see above.) We refer to rhetoric all the time when discussing effective speaking and writing. So how can it apply to something visual?
- Visual rhetoric includes the purposeful use of images, font (typography), color, and even white space on a page.
- Visual communication dominates our world, so understanding and using visual images will be a major part of how you communicate.
Some key points to consider:
Unfortunately, we do not have time to go into depth on topics such as typography and color theory. However, Purdue University has an online writing lab (which I highly recommend that you bookmark for future reference as it will provide a wealth of information your need) that provides some short but useful explanations.
Please review these by clicking the link. You will be assessed on the information in text elements, color, and images.
- Things such as font choice can affect your ethos (credibility). If you go too informal, your audience will not take your seriously.
- The principles of visual rhetoric are similar to those in writing:
- what is your purpose?
- Who is your audience?
- What tone do you wish to convey?
Unfortunately, we do not have time to go into depth on topics such as typography and color theory. However, Purdue University has an online writing lab (which I highly recommend that you bookmark for future reference as it will provide a wealth of information your need) that provides some short but useful explanations.
Please review these by clicking the link. You will be assessed on the information in text elements, color, and images.
If for some reason you cannot access the OWL website, you can read the information in an 11 page document below. I will also have a hard copy available in the classroom. Email me or come see me for a copy.