Reading Strategies: Background You’ll Need

  • Explain what rhetoric is and why it matters in communication

In this module, you will learn what rhetorical reading is as well as strategies for becoming an active rhetorical reader. You’ll also take a closer look at types of readings you may encounter during your college experience. But first…

What is Rhetoric?

The definition of rhetoric commonly used is “the art of persuasion,” although it also has a larger meaning that includes the way we communicate—specifically the words, language, and techniques used to convey a persuasive message. For example, the rhetoric you use to send an email to a friend is different than the rhetoric you use to compose an essay for your class.

Rhetoric is about strategic choices and approaches to communication whether textually, verbally, or even aurally and visually. When we communicate to different types of audiences about the same topic, we make strategic decisions on what details to include or omit, what types of evidence or support to use, and so on.

Let’s imagine that you spent a little bit of time last weekend studying, but mostly you were party-hopping and celebrating because your school’s football team won the championship.

  • When you speak to your best friend about your weekend, you are likely to provide details about how many parties you went to and what exactly you did at the parties, including gossip about mutual friends.
  • When you speak to your grandmother about that same weekend, you might mention your study group meeting on Sunday afternoon, the take-out dinner you had on Friday night, and perhaps briefly mention that you celebrated the team’s win with friends.
  • When you speak to your supervisor at your on-campus job, you are likely to discuss the big football win (Go Team!), your looming exam schedule, and how your study and exam schedule will impact your availability to work for the rest of the term.

All versions are accurate representations of your weekend, but you make strategic choices about which details to include or not include based on the particular rhetorical situation of your discussion.

Click on the video below to learn more about rhetoric and why it is important to your writing. Note that there are no captions, as all text is shown on the screen.
You can view the text-only version of “What is Rhetoric, and How Can it Help You As a Writer” here.