Rhetoric Citizenship (Final)

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    Derek Brown

    Dr. Blake Scott

    ENC-3331

    28 May 2012

    How You Define Your Rhetorical Citizenship?

    Rhetoric and Citizenship

    The idea of rhetorical citizenship is derived from the connotations behind what it means to be a

    citizen and how citizenship is implemented. Understanding this implementation, one must first

    understand rhetoric and citizenship separately, and together. Examining rhetoric will attempt to explain

    the idea on how a citizen acts like a citizen and what actions define being a citizen versus being a civilian.

    Through rhetoric, citizenship is defined by the actions, words, and ideas people conduct daily toward the

    well-being of society. Furthering understanding these actions and ideas, I will examine my life and for

    examples of sponsors that influenced my idea perspective on rhetorical citizenship which defined my

    role as a citizen.

    Rhetoric

    The core idea behind rhetoric is using communication effectively, but the meaning can change

    to meet the needs of the situation. Each rhetorician defines rhetoric differently which essentially means

    rhetoric is subjected to rhetoric. Therefore, rhetoric for my purpose needs a solid definition and to do so

    I analyzed professional opinions on rhetoric to discover my own rhetorically defined idea.

    Any type of communication consists of or has the potential to consist of rhetoric. Aristotle

    clarifies this idea of rhetoric saying it is rhetoric is defined as the ability to see what is possibly

    persuasive in every given case (Rapp, 2002). As Aristotle proposed, rhetoric is a skill and is called upon

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    to be used for a purpose. But it seems his definition is almost passive by nature. One only calls upon the

    rhetoric skill for a necessary means. In fact, rhetoric is not a skill that is employed when only necessary,

    but an active idea many use everyday unknowingly. John Poulakos idea of rhetoric states the art which

    seeks to capture in opportune moments that which is appropriate and attempts to suggest that which is

    possible (Poulakos, 1983). Poulakos suggests a more aggressive and active idea of rhetoric. He uses the

    word seeks meaning the user of rhetoric is active in their pursuit of it. Both definitions seem to define

    rhetoric as a dual sided idea. Whether you can use can employ it through a learned ability or it is an

    almost unconscious pursuit toward all that is possible in a situation.

    Rhetorics dual-sided nature as either a passive skill or a learned nature shows that its

    implementations can be either conscious or unconscious. By knowingly implementing rhetoric, one

    searches for these opportune moments as Poulakos suggests by a person immediately trying to

    analyze a situation for them. On the other hand, another person might passively discover these

    moments of rhetorical use, not using them in every situation but calling upon his or her ability as a

    means to persuade. Citizenship is similar in how a person goes about practicing it. One person might

    look for opportunities to practice citizenship, but another might unknowingly practice it.

    Citizenship

    Citizenship is best description comes in the 1997 film Starship Troopers. The movie has an

    undertone of this dilemma of being a civilian versus being a citizen. A civilian is essentially any one

    person strictly born into society; the person is granted civilian status through birth. However, citizenship

    is an earned title. The film states it as a citizen accepts personal responsibility for the safety of the body

    politic, defending it with his life, a civilian does not (Verhoeven, 1997). In the movie, a civilian becomes

    a citizen through devotion to what is called the Federation, i.e. the Government. The idea behind civilian

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    and citizenship is to give society a respect toward those that devote themselves to bettering the

    community through duty to someone or something else.

    Citizenship is something that is earned and [have] the courage to make the safety of the

    human race their personal responsibility (Verhoeven, 1997). One cannot force citizenship on to

    another. In the realistic, each member chooses to actively seek the means to practice citizenship and has

    an opportunity to earn this unofficial title in their community. For example, education is granted to

    every United States civilian. No matter what income one has or where you live, public education is

    available. The idea of education availability in the United States is very clear because the country is ruled

    for the people, by the people.Every individual has a say in the governing body through democracy and

    democracy cant work unless citizens are literate and informed(Wan, p. 31). Any one person can

    practice his or her citizenship by accepting this personal responsibility of his or her part in government

    to elect a worthy leader through voting, volunteering, or using their education to pursue a career that

    will help society. Thereby, practicing citizenship is a choice and how you practice is a choice.

    Rhetorical Citizenship

    Examining both rhetoric and citizenship shows that one can express their citizenship through

    rhetoric by choosing to express it. Aristotle described rhetoric as a persuasive stance, suggesting that a

    citizen can use writing, verbal communication, affiliation with clubs and organizations, clothing worn,

    places to live, places to visit, and really any action that you choose has an a rhetorical motive. A person

    can choose to support a political candidate or take a stance on an issue and use their power of rhetoric

    to express this. Once a person accepts their responsibility toward the body politic, they can then employ

    the means at which to use their available resources to express his or her responsibility.

    For example, an eighteen year old male decides after high school to enter in the armed services.

    He chooses this as a personal choice and is willing to service his country through such an act. By doing

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    so, he is expressing a rhetorical choice. He is of age to join the military, is not bound by schooling or

    other obligations, and has the available means to join the military. Therefore, he has taken a silence

    form of communication toward society. He is serving his country as a citizen and expressing to the

    people a higher calling of duty and honor. And he had done so because he was given the available

    choices and took the opportunity to make it. Therefore, he expressed his rhetorical citizenship through

    his available choices, his expression toward society, and serving his community through serving his

    country.

    Sponsorship through Rhetorical Citizenship

    Every person has the capacity to learn and develop skills to be used through their community.

    Finding these talents and putting them to good use is an inherent duty each person has toward one

    another. Serving each other in this manner is what it means to be a rhetorical citizen. However,

    discovering these talents is half the battle. Not everyone is born knowing what to do or how to service.

    Receiving a proper education is one means of obtaining an idea of ones skills but really it comes down

    to certain events or people that show us who we are and what we are good for. Deborah Brandt defines

    theses events or people as sponsors saying they are any agent, local or distant, concrete or abstract,

    who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit (Brandt, 1998). Clarifying on the meaning of

    these sponsors, I will look toward myself as an example on how sponsors have helped me discover my

    rhetorical citizenship.

    I received my first real teachings of citizenship in junior high school in 2005 on the cross country

    team. In 2005, I was a part of the Tuslaw Mustangs Cross Country team on the outskirts of Massillon,

    Ohio. During this time, I was about fourteen years old and still immature yet, my time on the cross

    country team taught me many forms of self discipline and always pursuing the best you can do, not

    always what others expect of you. Being a proper citizen is about pursuing your excellence no matter

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    what that may be and using that excellence toward society. My cross country coach, Mr. Brightman, told

    me I see a lot of potential in you, Derek. You have so much drive and determination. Use that to push

    yourself further. This phrase sticks with me still today. I use it for more than just running practice but as

    a general life lesson. This phrase has guided me to always pursue my best in everything I do and each

    day I should look to do better than I did yesterday. I found that my citizenship to be the same way. One

    should take it as a personal goal to achieve more today than yesterday and tomorrow more than today.

    As long as we as people push ourselves we will service each through inspiration.

    Though cross country taught me drive and gave me motivation, I still had yet to discover how to

    use it. Where was I going to use my passion? What was I good? These are several questions I asked

    myself until recently in 2011 and 2012. I began to discover through college courses that I had a passion

    for writing in my English Composition II class, but later it evolved from writing into a more of a passion

    for rhetoric, and using communication effectively. I began to discover what I liked, but I still had yet to

    discover what to do with that passion. In the fall of 2012, I decided to take a career planning at UCF that

    allowed me to discover that legal studies and technical communication were several things I enjoyed

    doing. I figured out that I could use my rhetorical citizenship toward writing and serve my community

    that way.

    Conclusion

    Developing an idea for rhetorical citizenship has yielded two ideas: citizens need to find what

    they do well and then apply it rhetorically to aid society. A citizen finds his or her unique talents through

    education and life experience. As public education is readily available in countries such as the United

    States, every civilian has an opportunity to explore what they are good at through education. Once a

    civilian finds a task or action that he or she can do well it is his or her responsibility to then explore how

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    to use this talent for the betterment of society. Rhetorical opportunity or opportune moments, as

    Poulakos described, allow a civilian to find in each situation how to rhetorically apply this or her skills.

    The idea of finding a way to apply these skills is difficult. Rhetoric allows for each citizen to

    discover what his or her skills would be good for, but it does not force them to choose. Choosing what is

    right for one is the idea of citizenship. The choice to become personally responsible for ones society is

    rhetorical citizenship. Choices are presented throughout ones entire life for citizenship practices in the

    shape of sponsors. Discovering these sponsors can guide one toward a possible way to express his or her

    citizenship. One can choose to take up his or her responsibility toward society or one cannot. Just as the

    film Starship Trooperssuggested a citizen defends the body politic, the people and society, with their life

    and a civilian does not. Ultimately, rhetorical citizenship is a choice: chose to be involved or chose not

    to.

    Works CitedBrandt, D. (1998). Sponsors of Literacy. College Composotion and Communication, 165-85.

    Poulakos, J. (1983). Toward a Sophistic Definition of Rhetoric. In G. Hauser, Philiosophy and Rhetoric(pp.

    35-48). Pennsylvania State University Press.

    Rapp, C. (2002, May 2).Aristotle's Rhetoric.Retrieved May 24, 2012, from Stanford Encyclopedia of

    Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-rhetoric/

    Verhoeven, P. (Director). (1997). Starship Troopers[Motion Picture].

    Wan, A. J. (2011). In the Name of Citizenship: The Writing Classroom and the Promise of Citizenship. In J.

    Schilb, College English (pp. 28-49). The National Council of Teacher of English.