The Importance Of Rhetoric

Recently, you asked me what I was studying in school. When I told you about my rhetoric course, you asked why I was studying such an old concept. I’m writing you today to explain why it is important that we still learn about rhetoric. Today, we commonly see rhetorically heavy symbolic actions like political speeches, newspaper articles, and FaceBook posts, but humans have been successfully utilizing rhetoric for over 2500 years. Rhetoric is an art form wherein the rhetor attempts to inform or persuade their audience by engaging symbolic action and constructing social reality. Put more simply, “[It] is the means by which people make meaning of and affect the world in which they live” (Fritch, Ice & Palczewski). I think rhetoric is useful to
study because it helps us maintain a civil society, and to think critically, as well as helping me succeed in the public relations career field after I graduate from the University of Iowa. Understanding rhetoric keeps us civically involved by allowing us to appeal to our audience effectively as well as see through any manipulation by other rhetors. Rhetoric also helps us develop our identity and sense of self within the public sphere. The feeling of belonging and citizenship that can be part of this identification can lead us to make changes in society or just to become more civically engaged. The rhetoric of certain words and symbols can construct a culture that thrives on civic involvement. For example, ‘freedom’ and the American flag are both extremely significant to American culture, and can lead to a sense of patriotism that makes you want to be engaged in your civic duties. When comprehending rhetoric, we are forced to think critically about the message that is being presented to us.
What does the rhetor believe, and what do they want us to believe? Are they manipulating the audience by choosing certain words or focusing on particular topics and avoiding others? This is especially important in today’s political climate, where the audience is not always presented the whole story. Some sources of information have become less trustworthy, and we need to be able to distinguish who we trust to present things accurately. As you know, after I graduate I hope to get a job in the public relations field. This career will require me to utilize some rhetorical strategies in order to be successful. Part of my job could be to persuade others of certain narratives using symbolic actions like speeches, advertisements or YouTube videos. I may also be responsible for presenting information to the public on behalf of someone or a company, and will need to utilize the identification aspects of rhetoric to target my audience. The concept of rhetoric may be old, but it’s applications are still relevant to modern society. Along with helping me succeed in my future career endeavors, rhetoric helps us maintain a civil society, and think critically about information that is presented to us. I hope this letter helps you understand why we still study rhetoric today, and why it’s important that we continue to study it in the
future.