Looking at the (wo)man in the mirror

Reflecting upon the past six weeks, I’m thinking about the various terms and definitions we have gone over. We have plenty of information available to us to fully understand, learn a little bit of history, and even get a peek at what’s to come with rhetoric and composition. Even though it is so important to know these terms and really understand what they mean and how they work in our lives, I think it’s most important to actually put them into practice and watch them work.

To me, rhetoric means speaking or writing persuasively using an organized method. That definition best sums up the few that are offered in the Rhetoric Introduction reading we were assigned at the beginning of the semester. The best keyword I can think of for rhetoric is invention. While I think all of Aristotle’s five canons are important (like, really important), invention is the life of the whole argument. It’s where your thoughts, ideas, and opinions really develop; where the piece gets its momentum. I also think Bitzer’s theory on constraints is a key idea linked to rhetoric. Whether you agree with his concept of the rhetorical situations and its three parts, it’s true that any audience is going to have a few things in their way before they can do whatever it is you want them to do. Thinking about what constraints could come up will help you build a more powerful and useful argument. Thus, audience is an important keyword as well.

My definition of composition is the expression of thoughts or emotions throughan art form. One keyword that comes to mind is social. Like Yancey said, circulation is so important. Today, we are an especially social culture. We post our pictures, thoughts, ideas, etc. online for the world to see every day. Another keyword is definitely organization. While the composition process might be messy, the end product should always be a coherent and well thought-out piece. Perhaps my favorite key term that goes with composition is revision. As someone who likes to edit, I think this is one of the (if not THE) most important parts. Editing allows you to catch errors, make sure the piece is coherent, and even develop new ideas.

My theory of composition is that composing involves the creation and development of ideas and thoughts. Each person’s composition process is different, but I believe it should always involve revision (more than once). A composer has a responsibility to think about the various ways they can express their intended message, whether it be through a written form or a more technologically advanced form. The life of a composition really starts when it circulates, whether it’s within a classroom or a whole community or the entire world.

Rhetoric and composition are complex concepts with a lot of baggage. After spending some time learning about these concepts last semester and for the past six weeks, I understand my composition process more and more. Plus, I’m figuring out ways to make it stronger and more efficient.