Campbell K., Huxman S., Burkholder T. The Rhetorical Act

Fifth edition. — Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2015. — 387 p.This edition remains committed to the ancient idea of the interrelationship of art and practice, that you cannot improve skills such as speaking and writing without understanding the theory, concepts, and ideas on which they are based. Conversely, you cannot master the theory unless you use it and test it in practice. In our view, this ancient relationship demands that those who would learn about rhetoric must adopt the role of rhetor-critic. The rhetor initiates rhetorical action and seeks to make the choices that will make her or him the most effective moral agent. The critic describes, analyzes, and evaluates rhetorical acts to understand what they do and how and for whom they are effective. As rhetor-critics, students learn to critique their own rhetoric in order to improve it, and as critic-consumers, they learn to analyze the rhetoric of others in order to make decisions as intelligently as possible.Preface
Prologue: Why Study Rhetoric?
Fundamentals of Rhetorical Action
A Rhetorical Perspective
Reading Rhetorical Acts
Crafting Your Rhetorical Act
Resources for Rhetorical Action
The Resources of Evidence
The Resources of Argument
The Resources of Organization
The Resources of Language
Context of Rhetorical Action
Challenges Arising from the Audience
Challenges Arising from the Subject and Purpose
Opportunities and Challenges Arising from the Rhetor
Special Constraints on Rhetorical Action
Understanding Evaluation
Understanding Visual Rhetoric
Understanding the Medium of Transmission
Understanding Occasion
Epilogue
IndexISBN13: 978-1-133-31379-3
ISBN10: 1-133-31379-5