Kathleen E Welch Electrifying Classic Rhetoric Ancient Media

Kathleen E. Welch - Electrifying Classic Rhetoric: Ancient Media, Modern Technology, and Contemporary Composition Jay Blackman ENGL 470 Spring 2003

Assignment Write a 100 -200 word response in regard to this question: Think about the methods of delivery of the past (literature, oratory) and the present (video, web pages, etc. ) What do you perceive to be the differences between them? Are any of these harder or easier to utilize than another?

Article Abstract • By looking at classical rhetoric and ways it has influenced modern methods of learning and presentation, we can see that there is much we can achieve by adapting these ancient ideas and harnessing them to create more effective electronic media

Reasons For Choosing This Article • Digital means of displaying rhetoric are an integral part of what we do • Lessons of the past can be applied to our digital future • Article is not widely cited, but Welch is

About The Author • Professor Of English, U. Of Oklahoma • Teaches writing, rhetoric, technology, feminist studies • Concentration on history and theory of discourse

Other Works • Electric Rhetoric: Classical Rhetoric, Oralism, and a New Literacy (book) • The Contemporary Reception of Classical Rhetoric: Appropriations of Ancient Discourse (book) • Written Communication (journal) • Rhetoric Review (journal) • Rhetoric Society Quarterly (journal)

About The Journal • Journal Of Advanced Composition 10. 1 (1990) • Other articles in this issue: – Defining Rhetoric (And Us) – Reflections On A Pragmatic Theory Of Rhetoric – Topics Of Arrangement: A Theory Of Disposito – 11 articles, 5 directly related to rhetoric

The Classical Structure • Ancient Greeks developed the classical system of discourse • Primary orality/literacy/secondary orality – Primary orality - handed down vocally – Literacy - writing – Secondary orality - electronic refiguring of primary orality

Refiguring The Past • We refigure the ideas of the ancient rhetoricians into secondary orality • We study this out of necessity for wanting to recognize how this conditions our own critical sensibilities

Problems With Refiguring The Past • 2 complaints arise from this: • 1) Disagreement that secondary orality forms consciousness • 2) Unhappiness with seeing Plato and sophists on same level

Question • From what you know and what we have learned about Plato, Socrates and the Sophists, do you think that their styles of writing and speaking could easily be translated into secondary orality? Why or why not?

Problems • As we examine secondary orality, we see that the dominant idea is that electronic media and video are considered inferior to written texts • Not regularly integrated into curriculum • Courses taught with electronic media often seem sub par compared to print-based courses

Question • Do you feel that classes based more on electronic media are more or less effective than traditional print based classes?

Audience/Performance • By looking at changes in audience, we understand effects of technologies on the ways we communicate – Oratory has always depended on the performance – Literacy depends on focusing inward on isolation

Audience/Performance • Secondary oratory has caused us to reinterpret these characteristics: – Oratory now focuses on the idea of performance and interpretation going on simultaneously – Literacy is now more visual – The “lag time” traditionally associated with these disappears as we find them to be more urgent

Encoding/Decoding • One activity electronic discourse provides is interactive clashes of views from decoders • Making the decoding process interactive requires change • Being aware of the medium makes us: – Conscious of the technology/determine the result of decoding – Know the possibilities of the technology /connects us to the media

Encoding/Decoding • Creating active encoders can create problems • Entire process can backfire if students condition themselves on how to react • We keep this under control in writing classes by encouraging passive reading – Gives instructors a comfort level – Gives students a “road map” to stick to

Adaptability Of Rhetoric • A primary characteristic of rhetoric over the ages has been its ability to be adapted to almost every subject • By observing this adaptability, we must question the power and/or danger in using it • We can use rhetoric to evaluate value systems

Student Writing • We are lead to believe that printed materials are authoritative • This belief has caused student writing to lose credibility as a form • The reintegration of student writing as a concern has raised awareness • We can strengthen student writing by using rhetoric to show connections between print culture and electronic culture

The Fifth Canon • Delivery • The most powerful of the canons because facilitates and creates consciousness • When we consider delivery, we see that its part in rhetoric helps to create new content

Question • Welch considers the fifth canon of rhetoric (delivery) to be the most important. In groups, find information about the other four canons. – Invention – Arrangement – Style – Memory

Question • Now that we know what the other four canons are concerned with, do you agree with Welch that delivery is the most important canon in secondary orality?

The Power Of Electronic Media • Electronic media affords us the ability to capture the moment – Primary oratory is powerful but loses power over time – Secondary oratory is powerful and lasting Rhetoric is made powerful because it accounts for encoders, decoders, media

The Elitist View • Welch notes that many scholars are unconscious of the many possibilities for systems of delivery • These elitists are interested in keeping the status quo • By revolting against this, we can change how print and electronic media are viewed and created

Conclusion • The task at hand is to analyze what this change has done for us thus far and how it will affect us in the future • If we want the ideas of rhetoric to be more useful in general we can use electric rhetoric to show people how to better understand use them properly

Question • Is Welch convincing in her argument? Do you feel that the use of electric rhetoric will help us to adapt rhetoric to more general situations?