Courtney Kellem Professor Wolcott ENC 3331 November 15, 2013

Rhetorical Citizenship: A Look Into The Heart Of Society

What is rhetorical citizenship and how does one begin to understand its rather complex meaning. Is it something that we as individuals have the ability to accomplish? Can it solely be defined by the person who is actively engaged in its meaning, or is it an idea of personal social responsibility that has been constructed by our imperfectly perfect society. There are many opinions as to what rhetorical citizenship truly is. Great scholars like Aristotle and Isocrates have long debated this topic, and I believe the fact that we still debate it today only proves its importance and necessity in our society. My rhetoric and civic engagement class has given me the opportunity to study the meaning of rhetorical citizenship, not only through analyzing a series of readings but also by becoming civically engaged in the community. I believe Ive gained a great knowledge of rhetorical citizenship through my experiences and can now thoroughly discuss its complexities. A separation of words and their meanings To begin with, Rhetorical and citizenship are two words filled with multiple layers and details. Grasping their individual meanings is essential to the understanding of rhetorical citizenship as a whole. Rhetoric has had both a positive and negative connotation in peoples minds. Sam Leith, author of Words like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama, portrays rhetoric in a

more positive light. In the book, Leith explains rhetoric in a very general manner before moving on to describing its details. He states that Rhetoric is, as simply defined as possible, the art of persuasion: the attempt by one human being to influence another in words.( Leith, 1) The word art in this statement, I believe describes something creative and different, and that is precisely what someone can be and or do when attempting to persuade someone. Leith then further explains the essence of rhetoric and the many roles it plays. He mentions that Rhetoric is language at playlanguage plus. It is what persuades and cajoles, inspires and bamboozles, thrills and misdirects. It causes criminals to be convicted and then frees those criminals on appeal.(Leith, 6) This quote expresses how rhetoric has the ability to work in ones favor or, work against someone if theyre not carful with their use of it. Rhetoric is a way of taking control, not in a violent manner but in a way thats courageous and cultivated; its a means of encouragement for transformation in society, whatever that transformation may be. C. J. Classen, writer of The Role of Rhetoric Today, believes It [rhetoric] is also and should also be taught as the art of thinking clearly, the art of speaking responsibly, the art of listening and judging critically. (Classen, 38) This explanation of rhetoric is eloquent and smart, and would undoubtedly have to be my favorite. I first want to highlight the phrases thinking clearly and speaking responsibly. I firmly believe that in order to be a great rhetor and engage in rhetorical acts, a person needs to be able to speak responsibly. That involves thoroughly understanding the issue at hand, understanding your audience, and of course thinking clearly so that you can communicate effectively. Rhetoric, in my opinion, can be defined as a set of both verbal and non-verbal actions used to promote societal change, the development of new ideals, and the gathering of useful information. It hopes to persuade an audience to act a certain way and participate in the process of change. Its a beautiful expression in our society.

Citizenship may seem like a simple word to understand the meaning of, but in reality its just as complex as rhetoric. On the surface, citizenship is defined by most as being a member of society and participating in everything that comes with it, like paying taxes, being socially responsible and living a fair and honest life. Its a word that describes ones pride and patriotism in their community or country. In the Name of Citizenship: The Writing Classroom and the Promise of Citizenship, written by Amy Wan, discusses citizenship in a different light. She uses it in association with an individuals literacy and their ability to access resources. In describing teaching citizenship in our schools through writing courses Wan says the following: Whats significant about the teaching of citizenship through writing is that arguments for a particular skill are also implicit arguments for what a person needs (and needs to be) in order to be prepared for a future, to act as a citizen: a good citizen is one who participates, who is engaged, who can critique society, and who is a productive, satisfied member of the nation, using advanced literacy skills as a means to achieve these civic acts. (Wan, 32-33) One conclusion I draw from Wans statement is that simply calling yourself a citizen doesnt automatically make you a good one and a good citizen needs to continue to work to increase their level of citizenship. Our citizenship can be enhanced by what we know and who we know; how we use the resources we are given to not only better ourselves but also the society in which we live are important to our success as citizens. I believe that citizenship is more than just being a part of a nation-state, Its about constantly working to become more educated and honorable individuals. Rhetorical citizenship is a unique combination of rhetoric and citizenship. It is the act of positively influencing society through providing ones knowledge and participation to the processes of change.

Experiencing the meaning of civic engagement My Rhetoric and civic engagement class allowed me to practice civic engagement in order to better understand rhetorical citizenship. I wanted to be involved in more than one community organization so that I could get the best experience possible and better learn the characteristics of civic engagement. Ive always been someone to be involved in my community. I would volunteer my time coaching and working with various organizations to raise money and create awareness for certain issues. I believe in the power of people and what we can accomplish together but it wasnt until being in this class that I fully understood why and how we need to be civically engaged. I decided to work as an advertising and public relations volunteer for The Legal Aid Society. This non-profit organization works to provide legal support to people who are in difficult situations. Lawyers are a big part of the organization, as they volunteer their time and skills to help those in need and deal with their legal matters. I was thrilled to work with The Legal Aid Society because Im an advertising and public relations major, and thought that it would be a great experience. I quickly realized that my experience would be a lot more difficult than expected. Communication is always an essential part to getting any job done. It is especially important when dealing with an organization that has a lot of responsibilities and not enough help. One of my main jobs in working with the organization was doing research. I would look for various fundraising opportunities through a set of websites that specialize in providing organizations with discounts. Conducting research was difficult not only because it was different but because I had to constantly seek out information from people who werent readily available to give me any. Working with this organization under such circumstances wasnt the best. I now understand some of the pressures and complications that communications professionals deal with

when working with non-profit groups. The lack of focus and uniformity thats present when there arent enough volunteers or leaders is hard to adapt to. One of the main aspects of rhetorical citizenship is effectively communicating. My experience with The Legal Aid Society was unlike anything Ive ever been a part of and Im thankful for the experience. I fully respect the work that The Legal Aid Society does and Im able to better understand the dynamics of such a busy organization. It allowed me to grow and become more confident in my communication skills, and for that I am grateful. I also volunteered for the Non-profit childrens organization called New Image. This organization works with underprivileged inner city kids who may not have a supportive household to help them develop properly. This was something very different for me because I had never worked with a group of kids on a continuous basis before. Each week I was able to sit down and interact with the children by helping them do their homework, simply talking about their day, and sometimes going outside to play sports. Many of the kids live with family members who are not heading in the right direction. New image provides them with a place of balance, happiness and family. While working with the organization, I wasnt concerned about my life and busy schedule. I believe that when we get to a point in our civic engagement where were not concerned about how many service hours we have or how much time we have left to be there, thats when we truly are civically engaged. Rhetorical citizenship is seeing clearly the needs of society, thinking about them critically and responsibly, and actually doing something. It involves the need for great communication and listening skills, and the determination to transform the communities in which we live. We all have the ability to influence change but that change must be for the betterment of society and not

because of our selfish need to increase our social statuses. The more time we spend trying to be civically engaged, the smarter we will become and the more well accomplish. Works Cited

Leith, Sam. Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama. New York: Basic, 2012. 6. Print

Classen, C.J. The Role of Rhetoric Today. Renaissances of Rhetoric. Ed. S Ijsseling and G. Vervaecke. Leuven: Leuven UP, 1994.38

Wan, Amy J. In the Name of Citizenship: The Writing Classroom and the Promise of Citizenship College English. 1st Ed. Vol. 74. 2011. 33. Print.