Final Reflection

Abstract language and composition are what separate humans from the other 2 billion species that have lived on earth. Language works through rhetoric meaning that all language is about persuasion. It is through rhetoric that people are allowed to be different. My favorite definition of rhetoric was provided by John Locke. He said, “Rhetoric, that powerful instrument of error and deceit.” Andrew King and Jim Kuypers give a definition that ties rhetoric and persuasion together. They said, “The strategic use of communication, oral or written, to achieve specifiable goals.” Since composition is what divides us from animals, it is therefore the most important subject humans learn.
In order to understand the art of persuasion Aristotle introduced three concepts: logos, pathos and ethos. Logos appeals to an individual’s logic, pathos appeals to an individual’s emotion, and ethos appeals to an individual’s character. Encountering these three elements happens every day, and as I learned through my rhetorical analysis, they often persuade you to buy certain products. Concentrate on a car website for example; the reasonable price and generous cash back incentive applies to your logic. Ethos is present because the website proves that their brand is well known and trusted. Exaggerated photographs that show endless possibilities are the most obvious pathos.
I have a new respect for composition because I understand that it is about so much more than I imagined. In Kelly Slacks oral presentation, the article she studied said that composition classes need to play a role in “diversifying education and building positive and understanding character in their students.” The article, by Danielle Mitchell, concentrated on homosexuality and composition, but what I really took away from it was the fact that teachers need to teach critical analysis of the ideas being studied.
Although I am not going to be a teacher in school, I think you constantly have the opportunity to share your knowledge with people. You can teach your co-workers, your children, or your friends. The three approaches to learning are subjective, objective and rhetorical. I think that the best education consists of a combination of the three. Teachers could start with the objective approach and present the facts, through lecture. Then they could move into the subjective approach to let the students break down the information in their own heads. Finally, the rhetorical learning process allows the students to interact with one another. With the advancement of web 2.0 into the classrooms interaction is becoming more and more common. Web 2.0 gives the students a form and allows them to fill in the content.
Grasping the concept that all language is persuasion was very difficult for me. The Toulmin argument helped break it down in simpler terms. With the Toulmin argument you have a claim, data and a warrant. The claim starts the argument, the data supports that argument and then there is the warrant. The warrant is the assumption being made, and most people consider this the hardest element to understand.
Audra Osborne’s oral presentation introduced an idea that, surprisingly, I had never thought about. If teachers created assignments that focused on the students’ interests then maybe they would find it less tedious. Also, focusing on the individual’s ideas and allowing room for mistakes would get secondary students more interested in the subject and less afraid of error.
Overall, this class opened my eye to a completely new view of composition. Before this semester I thought composition was the formula we used to convey our written ideas. Now, I know that composition encompasses so many things. There is not one way to teach composition, and I think it is obvious that NOONE should use the 5-paragraph essay. Clearly there is great value in teaching composition because it is the primary component that separates humans from every other living thing. Also, if language is directly related to persuasion then it is a skill you use in every aspect of your life, making it necessary to understand. Take Joseph for example; the boy had no realm of the past or future. He lived in a very small present and had no idea the difference between love and hate. Joseph had never encountered language or composition.