Application of Rhetoric Theory - Report Example

Rhetorical Theory Application Paper Introduction Liberating someone from sufferings promotes a sense of gratitude as well as hope. The feeling is great especially if the pain inflicted on an individual as well as suffering resulted from ruthless activities of humans. The speech presented to the US president by Elie Wiesel on “The perils of Indifference” contains weighty rhetorical evidence concerning human behavior towards each other (1999). By focusing on the painful state experienced by Jewish community following the attacks spearheaded by Hitler, Wiesel uses historical events to convince his audience on the need to intervene in a conflict situation so as to save the affected community. The speech emphasizes the need to be sensitive towards world tragedies by rescuing the affected individual. For instance, Franklin Delano Roosevelt managed to mobilize the American troops in the fight against dictatorship of Hitler (Wiesel 1999). Despite his intervention in the war, it is documented that he did not allow a ship ferrying Jewish refugees to embark in US, instead the ship was turned to the Germany’s Nazis (Wiesel 1999). Therefore, there have been some discouraging cases when powerful nations have responded negatively against tragic events. Although the nations advocate for need to save and protect humanity, some of their actions create confusion by failing to learn from historic events. Weaver addresses the decline of rhetoric in the present society by analyzing major causes as well as the individuals behind the reasoning. For instance, he quotes specific dialectic scenarios used by Socrates while defending his criticisms among Athenians (Weaver 1985). According to the theorist, dialect is simply abstract of reasoning based on proposition. On the other hand, rhetoric relates dialect with the existing world while treating the facts sympathetically through appreciation of historical understanding. Thus rhetoric ensures that the order of internal spirit is maintained as well as external society. He argues that dialectic is subversive, as it promotes indifference, and has contributed towards cultural decline of the present society. Therefore the essay will analyze the speech by Weasel while applying ideas raised by Weaver in defense of rhetoric theory. The artifact will be analyzed to prove its relevance towards the study, followed by a thorough explanation of the rhetoric theory. Also, there will be a preview of points to be applied accompanied with application of the theory. In addition, a clear summary of results as well as a conclusion will be provided (Weaver 1985). Artifact Justification The artifact considered for study contains important information that everyone should strive to get. Despite having been written many years after Weaver’s article on the role played by cultural rhetoric in society, the views raised by Weasel advocates the need to apply rhetoric reasoning in the society. Weasel starts his speech by describing the sad situation that Israelites went through following attacks by Nazi forces, during the reign of Hitler. He points out the feeling and experience inside an Israelite boy who had been rescued by American forces. Although the event happened fifty-four years back, the boy will grow to remember historic and tragic events that he suffered. Throughout his speech, Weasel pays close attention to the evils committed by humans against their fellow in the millennium. However, he appreciates the role played by the American Government by intervening in conflict prone areas. For instance, the American government has been on the frontline in restoring justice to the oppressed “(Beale 1990). He commends the statement said by Mrs., Hillary’s statement against injustices on humans. She had been kind to children affected by civil wars, displaced population as well as societal injustices. Many evil acts committed, against humanity, during the millennium left a dark shadow to be remembered. There were two world wars, countless assassination cases as well as countless civil wars. All these tragic events happened as a result of human indifference . People talk of respect for humanity but themselves are less concerned with the life of others. Those who believe in human indifference view the life of others as meaningless and an abstraction. Thus human indifference can be described as an end to someone’s life. The reality of indifference can be well explained by anyone affected by any tragic events in the society. Although rescue missions are aimed at bringing hope to the victims, they cannot forget the harsh conditions experienced. It’s unfortunate that the world is made up of three categories of people, victims, killers and bystanders. For instance, during the attack on Jewish people, the Germany forces were the killers and Jews were the victims. Human indifference and confusion was evident during the attack on Jews. Despite powerful nations advocating for the need to protect humanity against acts of aggression, most of them were insensitive and bystanders (Green 2004). The only group sensitive people comprised of a few Christians, whose help was not enough to counter Germany forces. The information contained in this artifact makes it a good resource for study. The author has raised strong points that criticize the hypocrisy and increased indifference in the society. Many world leaders have good ideas that should be embraced by the society (Villanueva 2003). However, they seem to forget the past tragic events against humanity. It seems like very few people are able to learn from the historic events, apart from the victims themselves. The artifact offers criticisms to human indifference while advocating the need to learn from historical events while being sensitive to tragic events against humanity. By subscribing to the arguments raised by Weasel, world leaders need to avoid practicing dialect and instead be rhetoric by learning from historic and tragic events to secure those in trouble. Thus the act of human indifference should be condemned at all costs by involving leaders from powerful nations. Theory/Method The author raises various arguments to prove the existence of human indifference as well as its negative effects to the society. There have been many tragic events in the past that caused a lot of suffering to the people (Simons 1989). Although the events were being spearheaded by leaders from powerful nation, like Hitler of Germany, other world leaders came out strongly against the evils. For instance, the American forces had to defend the Jews against attacks form the Germanys. The Nazi, under leadership of Hitler, caused a lot destruction to the Israelites through murder, displacement of the population and destruction of property. The author noted that survivors of the tragic events will never forget, despite being rescued by the Americans. He believes that there has been an increase of human sensitivity against suffering on humanity (Villanueva 2003). The society is changing for the better due to reduced cases of deportation, dictatorship and crimes against humanity. The theory of rhetoric can be effectively applied in the analysis of the Speech by Weasel to the US president. As opposed to Dialectic, rhetoric theory can be used effectively to resolve the present cultural crisis in the world. The ability of dialect to gain relevance in the society has resulted in the decrease of relevance of oratory. It is rare to find people listening to great speeches by orators like Churchill. However, dialecticians are abstract in nature as they only argue that failure to observe a given ideology will result to another. They thus infer to another situation and not historical events. Just as the speech presented by Weasel, rhetoric seek to influence and move audiences’ feelings towards a given goal. The theory relies heavily on historical events, familiar to the people, so as to easily persuade them. The theory is based on believe that people can be persuaded easily if the message provided has aspects of logicality and historicity. The description of aspects forms the main difference between dialectic and rhetoric. Dialectic has been determined to revolve round syllogism in argument while rhetoric seeks to discover real means of persuasion. Thus the author of Perils of indifference had mastered the art of rhetoric which enabled him to quote various historical events with some aspects of indifference. The method applied while analyzing the speech by Weasel as well as other research articles on the theory of Rhetoric was based on close reading and analysis (Lucaites 1999). Various authors have been actively involved in the move to reduce relevance gained by dialectic in the world as compared to the theory of rhetoric. Among the reasons resulting the need to popularize the theory of rhetoric is its capability to persuade the audience by using past events that are known to almost everyone. Close reading process involved keen analysis of the texts in the articles, determining meaning to the words used as well as looking at the overall context. The tone and narrative voice used by the author offered direction towards identifying his stand on the theory as well as his opinion. The beginning of the artifacts made use of an argued thesis, thereby preparing the audience towards a given direction and the goal. The themes revealed in the text are more convincing due to the use of historical events concerning human indifference. Thus the speech by Weasel supports the need to embrace and practice the theory of rhetoric so as to fight against evils in the society. The fight against evils in the society can be effectively dealt with if historical events will be used to prove tragic situations that people went through, so as to reduce cases of human indifference in the society (Lucaites 1999). Application There are various points of rhetoric theory that can be effectively applied while analyzing the selected artifact. For instance, Weaver argues that the use of rhetoric is aimed at moving people towards the desired direction of the present goals (McGee 1980). By using historical events to persuade the audience, the theory makes use of evidence that is already known to listeners. Listeners are reminded about realities in the society that are well known to them. Instead of just talking about relation propositions and terms like dialectic, rhetoric tells audiences what they ought to do in the society. Having analyzed the selected speech closely, there are various points raised by the author that can be effectively supported by rhetoric argument. For example, the author started his speech by referring to the historical events that Jews went through following attacks from Germanys. He talks about a young Israelite boy who had been rescued by American soldiers. Although rescue mission was aimed at restoring hope to the Jews after suffering in the hands of Nazi soldiers, they could not forget the agony and pain experienced. The author quotes the feeling of relieve among the Jews to persuade the US president about the need of being sensitive to tragic events in the world. He commends the speech made by Mrs. Clinton towards the need to rescue children from conflict areas, mostly experiencing civil wars and ethnic cleansing. The step taken by the Germanys, under leadership of Hitler is enough prove of existence of indifference in the world. Hitler displayed hatred of the highest order against Jews. He perceived Israelites as people with no consequence and their life was meaningless to him. He therefore went on with his mission of ethnic cleaning (Garland 2002). During the war, many Jews were murdered, others displaced while their property destroyed. It’s unfortunate that while Hitler was carrying out his destructive mission, other nations were just watching. Both killers and bystanders were deeply rooted into human indifference (McGee 1980). A ship carrying Jewish refugees to the America was denied a chance to disembark, and instead forced to return to Israel. Destruction against Jewish community took place because other nations had a feeling of indifference. According to the artifacts, indifference leads to no response. People are not concerned about their neighbors’ life. Although the [person portraying may not participate in the war, the act itself is a friend of the enemy (Simons 1989). For instance, the Pentagon knew about the war against Jews. However, they delayed to respond thereby leaving the Germanys to destroy Israelites. The Germanys benefited from failure by other nations to intervene in the war. According to Weasel, the indifference is better equated to s punishment. The Israelites felt like their neighbors had joined hands with the Nazi in attacking them. The author quotes various examples of tragic evils that happened in the previous millennium so as to persuade the president and Mrs. Clinton. Just as argued by the theorists, historic examples were necessary for both reminding his audience about the tragic effects that caused suffering the people (Simons 1989). The delayed response by the American force to intervene in the war was also, criticized. The message here is to challenge world leaders to quickly intervene in any given situation that can cause suffering to the people. Since the American soldiers played an important role in rescuing children those acts of terror by the Germanys, the message is important and appropriate for convincing the US government to respond promptly to any given situation. Cases such as the two world wars, Sarajevo assassination as well as many civil wars and unrests are real and the audience can recall them. The artifacts specifically made use of historical realities to convince audiences on the need and importance of intervening in a conflicting situation to restore peace and calm. The author applies rhetoric theory by recommending Mrs. Clinton to keep up with good works of providing hope to the hopeless as well as influencing her towards the direction of the preferred goals. Thus the speech focused on identifying various issues that has been affecting cultural life of the people due to human indifference. Evidence derived from the speech confirms the need to embrace rhetoric theory so that people are informed about the need for prompt response towards a tragic even in the society. The success by Hitler and his forces managed to destroy Jews due to failure by Israelite neighbors to respond to the situation. Results & Conclusion The essay has presented a thorough analysis of a speech by Weasel, to the Us President and Mrs. Clinton. The speech is centered on exposing the negative effects of indifference feelings to the affected people. Various historical events have been quoted in the speech to show the public the need to embrace rhetoric theory. The speech selected for study conforms to the requirements of rhetoric theory, was justified. Both arguments raised in the speech with those raised by the theorist were examined and analyzed to bring out their similarity. The other step applied while writing the essay involved discussion of close reading and analysis approach used during the study. It was determined that the arguments contained in the essay are good enough for persuading world leaders to abandon feelings of indifference in the society. They should be sensitive to all negative issues affecting the society. Application of rhetoric theory, described by Weaver, is better placed in the study and analysis of the artifacts. Looking at the speech, it has paid close attention to the past tragic events. The events mentioned in the speech include the two world wars, civil wars, assassinations and even apartheid. After highlighting the negative events, the author criticizes the feeling of indifference among the people. He instead suggests that world nations should be fast while responding to conflict situations. The structure and content of the speech conforms to explanation definitions provided by on rhetoric theory. Just as the theory emphasized the use of real event examples of events that happened in the past, it suggests to the people what they ought to do. Proper use of the rhetorical theory will help in eradicating most evils in the society, and restore preferred cultural practices. References Beale, W. H. (1990). Richard M. Weaver: Philosophical rhetoric, cultural criticism, and the first rhetorical awakening. College English, 626-640. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ416368 Green, S. E. (2004). A rhetorical theory of diffusion. Academy of Management Review, 29(4), 653-669. http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sandy_Green_jr/publication/245043210_A_Rhetorical_Theory_of_Diffusion/links/00b7d52e3d7c244f5f000000.pdf Johnson, B. (1985). The critical difference: Essays in the contemporary rhetoric of reading. JHU Press, 100-120. http://www.amazon.com/The-Critical-Difference-Contemporary-Rhetoric/dp/0801827280 Lucaites, J. L., Condit, C. M., & Caudill, S. (Eds.). (1999). Contemporary rhetorical theory: A reader. Guilford Press, 200-205 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Contemporary-Rhetorical-Theory-Revisioning-Rhetoric/dp/1572304014/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431014116&sr=8-1&keywords=Contemporary+rhetorical+theory%3A+A+reader.+Guilford+Press. Garland, B. (2002). The culture of control: Crime and social order in contemporary society. PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, 25(2), 109-112. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Culture-Control-Social-Contemporary-Society/dp/0199258023/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431014451&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=The+culture+of+control%3A+Crime+and+social+order+in+contemporary+society.+PoLAR%3A+Political+and+Legal+Anthropology+Review%2C+25%282%29%2C+109-112.+by+Lynch McGee, M. C. (1980). The “ideograph”: A link between rhetoric and ideology. Quarterly journal of speech, 66(1), 1-16. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00335638009383499?journalCode=rqjs20 Simons, H. W. (1989). Rhetoric in the human sciences. In This book is a product of the Spring 1986 conference on Case Studies in the Rhetoric of the Human Sciences held at Temple University, Department of Rhetoric and Communication, Philadelphia, PA.. Sage Publications, Inc. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legacy-Kenneth-Rhetoric-Services-Sciences/dp/0299118347/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431014883&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=Rhetoric+in+the+human+sciences.+In+This+book+is+a+product+of+the+Spring+1986+conference+on+Case+Studies+in+the+Rhetoric+of+the+Human+Sciences+held+at+Temple+University%2C+Department+of+Rhetoric+and+Communication%2C+Philadelphia%2C+PA..+Sage+Publications%2C+Inc. Weaver, R. M. (1985). Language is sermonic: Richard M. Weaver on the nature of rhetoric. LSU Press.150-153 http://www.amazon.com/Language-Sermonic-Richard-Weaver-Rhetoric/dp/0807112216 Wiesel, E. (1999). The perils of indifference. Washington, DC, April, 12. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ewieselperilsofindifference.html Villanueva, V. (2003). Cross-Talk in Comp Theory: A Reader. Revised and Updated. National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096 (Stock no. 09764-1659: $31.95 members, $42.95 nonmembers). 400 http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED474209 Read More