WHAT WHAT

Hey everyone, just wanted to jump on the blog and say hi! Hope everyone is having an incredible start to summer vacation, I am. See you downtown, or come see me at Ruby Tuesday where I am now employed, or at Abercrombie on the weekends. I'm a work-a-holic, and other things that end in -holic, peace and love rhetoric buddies.

Kevin

rhetoricians beware... here I come.

Obviously, from a number of my previous posts, I think that one of the biggest problems with rhetoric is the fact that we are too readily eager to accept it without question. When I hear a speech, I want to be able to ask questions in a comfortable atmosphere. I think that when a speaker is scheduled to come and give a speech, they should present a loose outline of what they wish to accomplish through their words. I don't know about anyone else, but a brief Q and A session after a talk just doesn't do it for me. I need time to process through the information and research a little before hearing what the rhetoric of the speaker. Almost anyone who would be invited to speak anywhere should have a website or at least access to the website of the place he/she is speaking. Posting this would not take long and would benefit all those who wish to be prepared for the speech. Yes, this would keep the speaker on his/her toes both during and after the presenation, but why should this deter anyone from making this a reality? Half of the audience would never look at the outline, the speaker will be more prepared in order to avoid embarrassment after the speech and the public will become more informed without even realizing it. How is this a bad idea?! Furthermore, if the speaker truly has something important to say that they care about, why would they want their audience to be ignorant on their subject? See, everyone wins here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making a speaker earn their money.
*Thanks to everyone for a great semester. It's been a lot of fun and very interesting (I know... fun AND educational at the same time- who knew?!) If anyone is here this summer come and look me up, I'll be serving at the Blue Heron... Good luck to everyone!
Alden

Rhetoricookies (or... EAT MY COOKIES!)

I love it when food and school combine! I brought the cookies in because I thought it was a good illustration of how I view rhetoric. Rhetoric always comes packaged up with some purpose. Good rhetoric is inviting, appetizing and makes you want more. It may even come with a message on it that lets you know exactly what to do with it. BUT... you never know what you are getting yourself into. You only see the final package, not all of the research that goes into it. The audience doesn't know what has been left out, over emphasized or covered up, they only see the result. When the audience finally bites in, their may be a few surprises... there may be nuts hidden in the dough or raisins that look like chocolate chips. Unless you take the information and find out what is going on inside, you never know what you are going to get. Chew on that next time you bite into a delicious cookie.