Guevara 1

Rhetorical Citizenship
Sometimes, it works.

Written by: Alexandra Guevara

Guevara 2 Alexandra Guevara Professor Wolcott ENC3331 19 November 2012

Rhetorical Citizenship: Sometimes, it works. Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men. The philosopher Plato once said about this predominant word. To many, rhetoric is a symbol; a powerful movement to engage a desired audience into an understanding of matters surrounding them. Regardless, the vast majority of society has little to no understanding on what rhetorics function truly is. Although many apply it throughout their lifetime, not knowing the use of such a powerful movement could potentially make it less beneficial and thus, by acquiring the knowledge to link rhetoric accordingly we can then indentify how to apply citizenship. The Roots of Rhetoric and Citizenship The term rhetoric has been long introduced to us by philosophers such as Aristotle when he defined it as the art of persuasion (37). Furthermore, rhetoric could be defined as the art of speech in which the rhetorician attempts to persuade a given audience through verbal communication alone. Aristotle argued that rhetoric is a practical skill that could be taught; one just needs have the knowledge to further its use. In contrast, when Isocrates defined rhetoric, he believed that it was a philosophy; the ability to speak, to reason, and to act (203). Consequently, rhetorical would be the action done by an individual to take initiative towards a certain goal. By tying Isocrates 3 principles that make

Guevara 3 up rhetoric, one can organize them into a chronological process in which an action will then take place and by doing such, one can see how the process has its certain method of working to have an impactful meaning. Taken both sides into consideration, we can infer one common goal; it is a skill that needs to be further taught in order to make the action happen. Once that has been defined, one can then use the term rhetorical to link the definition with the action. Aristotle and Isocrates concluded that by having a set of laws regarding the usage and management of rhetoric, one can learn to productively acquire the right skills and knowledge to further pursue a plan for addressing a certain concern to their desired audience. In order to have a complete understanding on how to apply rhetoric(al) appropriately, one needs to familiarize themselves with citizenship. The term citizenship has been wrongfully misconstrued by our own public. According to Wan, as Americans when we first hear the word citizenship, we have a tendency of making immediate associations with positive civic activities such as voting (30). To further that argument, citizenship does not only entail the right of voting but it also goes beyond its common stereotype. Living in a technology-based society where social media is at its prime time, one gets exposed to what the media wants them to think about a topicthe agenda setting of the day. As a result, our own interpretation of an action can be easily manipulated due to the medias opinion. With this in mind, one can conclude that at some point or another, we let others define valuable information; citizenship being one. A great example would be this past election. Vote because it counts is what the public would hear from one news channel to the nextif thats how we are applying citizenship, theres

Guevara 4 not much hope for generations to come. The process of getting knowledge on the political party of ones choice and the actions taken to assure that is the right person to run for office is the true citizenship. By applying this concept one can then conclude that by acquiring knowledge on such an important decision such as voting, true citizenship comes out. One concept that interconnects both rhetorical and citizenship is that both need to be used together in order to make an idea happen. Rhetorical is the action that one does in order to get their voice to be heard, but one cant do that if they dont have the required knowledge to apply those concepts to their given audience. Therefore, in order to have social success one needs to persuade their audience into viewing the manners in another light. A Students Point of View At the beginning of the semester, my professor assigned us a student profile project. What this project consisted of was to interview students who have great involvement on campus and how they apply civic engagement into their activities. Little did I know, it was going to be a great way to show young individuals applying true citizenship at the university and the benefits that students such as myself get from their actions. Looking back at my first assignment, I came to the realization that one person can make a difference no matter where they areas long as they make themselves heard. During my freshman year in college I was profoundly engaged with an organization called ASPIRA. ASPIRA is a Hispanic organization that teaches Latino students leadership roles by providing them with the skills needed to make a difference in their community. ASPIRA is heavily involved in volunteer work throughout Palm Beach County amongst other projects such

Guevara 5 as leadership workshops and seminars. Being a member of ASPIRA taught me how to find the inner strength to make my thoughts into actions. Volunteer work played a critical role in this organization. Every weekend, if not all, we would get together and brainstorm ideas for our next volunteer work. Each member would come up with an organization they would like to devote some time with, contact them, and plan an event that will be both beneficial to ASPIRA and the organization/place of their choice. Since it was my first year and I didnt have much experience with the way they chose their volunteer projects, I decided to contact my old elementary school to see if they needed any extra hands. To my surprise, I was quickly contacted back and asked if I wanted to assist them with Hispanic Heritage Month. When I look back at that year, at everything I got accomplished, I get a sense of honor because I made an impact on my old elementary school and community. In my opinion, to apply citizenship one needs to begin small. Get acquainted with something that is both of interest and has a bigger picture; a message behind the scenes. I applied citizenship by helping organize a month long event that gave back to the Hispanic community in Palm Beach County. Hispanics roots are very important and I wanted my audience (both the school and the parents) to know that those roots are just getting bigger and by showcasing the students talents and knowledge on their own Hispanic heritage, I made an impact on the importance of where they came from. Rhetoric and Citizenship Defined I will always argue that to define rhetorical citizenship one needs to be knowledgeable on some aspect. I applied rhetorical citizenship by getting part of my community involved on a very important aspect which is our roots. At the end, the most valuable part of the whole process

Guevara 6 was knowing that my actions led to more individuals wanting to be a part of the Hispanic Heritage month project and by doing so, we were able to make an impact on the school and the community. At the end, no one can give us the right definition of rhetorical citizenship; it is a broad term that can be interpreted depending on ones views. One can read about rhetoric, one can listen and comment on it but its not until that individual sets out to do something beneficial, it is just another term being thrown around. To me, its about taking action into a matter that is of relevance to ones desired outcome for the future. As long as we can see the connection of the action and the knowledge required to maintain the action going, we are applying rhetorical citizenship accordingly.

Guevara 7 Works Cited Aristotle:On Rhetoric. Book 1:Chapter 1.Print. Too, Yun Lee.Isocrates:Antidosis. Oxford University Press. 2008. Print. Wan, Amy J. In the Name of Citizenship: The Writing Classroom and the Promise of Citizenship. Vol. 74, No. 1. 2011. Print.