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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.