Rhetoric is a technique used in writing. It is using language as a tool of persuasion. Throughout the years, there have been many different meanings of what rhetoric can mean. It originates all the way back to 380 BC from Plato the philosopher. As the years have gone by, many more philosophers and people who have studied rhetoric have come up with their own meanings as to what they believe it means. One definition that I feel fits rhetoric come from Andrea Lunsford. Her definition relates more to the communication between humans and how they interact with one another. I feel that this definition fits with how I learned what it was. I feel that rhetoric is based on how people interact and talk with people. I also think it is based on who a person is and how they talk to them.
There are many other definitions of Rhetoric that I feel also fit the definition that I know. Aristotle, another philosopher expressed that Rhetoric was based off of persuasion. I feel that this definition also fits because of how he believes that it is based off of persuasion. I think that combining the definition that Aristotle gave and the definition that Lunsford is the ideal definition. I believe that rhetoric is based off greatly about persuasion and interacting with others. Rhetoric is one of the tools that are used in writing and speaking as a way to persuade another person.
I came to this understanding of Rhetoric from my past english classes in high school. Although we did not discuss it too much, it was brought to our attention. It was never a major topic that was stressed too much but my teachers would expresses the importance of it however we never had to use it in our writings.
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