Response 1: Losh et al

Losh et al

The authors of this text, “Why Rhetoric?”, are a group of rhetoricians that are professionals in their field.

Rhetoric’s Beginnings

The text is an inquisition into the definition of rhetoric through its ancient Greek roots. Rhetoric’s beginnings are in ancient Greece, with rhetoric meaning “to say.” Plato strongly opposed rhetoric, for he believed it masked the truth. His student Aristotle, however, was a huge proponent of rhetoric and believed it could become a foundation of education. Aristotle’s three appeals, ethos, logos, and pathos, plus kairos, have become some of the most useful rhetorical tools in today’s world.

In today’s world, many do not know what rhetoric is, so the text explains rhetorical in a very understandable way within its context in history. The text begins with common modern usage of rhetoric: “The rhetoric was flying in today as President…” (Losh et al 36). This usage very effectively has the reader stop and assess their own personal convictions about rhetoric; in what modern contexts other than politics is the word “rhetoric” used that frequently? Modern society’s connotations of rhetoric can actually be traced back to some of the most influential philosophers of all time: Plato and Aristotle. I found it ironic that Plato strongly opposed rhetoric and believed it’s morally ambiguous and harmful to society, while his pupil, Aristotle, was a huge proponent of rhetoric. In fact, Aristotle was the person who introduced the big three components of rhetoric: ethos, logos, and pathos. But shortly afterwards, the text mentions a fourth component: kairos.

Kairos

One of the central parts of the text is the introduction of and explanation of kairos. Kairos is a term I had never heard before reading the text, yet it is a critical intersection of the three rhetorical appeals. Kairos actually has two different definitions: “exact or critical time, season, or opportunity” and “due measure, proportion, or fitness” (Losh et al 48). In today’s society, the timing and fitness of our expression is seemingly more important than ever. The world revolves around the clock. Whether you have a meeting for work, or you simply want to send a text, your timing and fitness are extremely important. This relates directly to the other rhetorical appeals: if you’re trying to appeal to pathos during a corporate meeting about profits, the fitness of your appeal is not as effective as it could be. Or, if you’re trying to appeal to logos at 4am to your friend that you just woke up, the timing of your appeal is not as effective as it could be.

Questions

During my great revelation that this fourth rhetorical appeal exists, I was extremely perplexed by something. How could I have gone through four years of high school English and never heard of kairos? Why is this concept not always taught with the other rhetorical appeals? It seems too important to not be required in the curriculum. I can’t help but think that maybe with a bit of knowledge about kairos, some of my more awkward moments in high school could’ve been prevented.

Works Cited

Losh et al. Issue 1: “Why Rhetoric?” Understanding Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide to Writing, 2014, pp. 35-65.