Rhetorical Criticism

Jacqueline Huynh 3/8/2011 Rhetorical Criticism: Meaning Detectives and Their Method of Madness

Rhetorical Criticism looks at how influential and persuasive a discourse is. It analyzes, evaluates, and makes sense of all the meanings that can be pulled out of the text. Taking a critical look at texts unmasks any hidden meanings. A perfect example of this would be Brummetts analogy when comparing Critics to meaning detectives. We want to discover all possible meanings of why a text conveys that meaning. There are factors such as complexity and struggle over the dominant meaning within a text that a critic must work out. The purpose of rhetorical criticism is to not accept the easiest answer. This form of criticism only adds to the wealth of knowledge that flourishes within communication, especially sites of meanings and symbols within texts that are exposed to the greater public. It takes skill in asking the right questions and challenging the mind. I can say for certain that rhetorical criticism bruises my brain sometimes. Rhetorical criticism helps us answer and find meanings through methods of analysis. Critical analysis of rhetoric sheds light on a new and different way of looking at a text and helps expand the ways people may come to find that meaning (Brummett, 2011, 84). For example there are many cultural challenges when making rhetoric an essential part of communication studies in non-Western cultures (Campbell, 2006, 359). Cultural differences are similar to labyrinths. The American-English language is doused in idioms and phrases such as: a dime a dozen, crack someone up, and to wear your heart on your sleeve. The direct translation for these sayings does not make sense. Someone from another culture that does not speak English would find it hard to understand these sayings off the bat (an example of idiom in use)! Rhetorical criticism

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Jacqueline Huynh 3/8/2011 puts particular experiences into account noting that not all people may look at an artifact the same way. An example would be that of a pig. Here in a majority of the United States, pigs are seen as meat and farm animals. As for in Pakistani culture, a predominantly Muslim population, the pig is seen as a dirty animal that should not be eaten. Research questions within text critique leads us to answers. Types of research questions that rhetorical criticism intends to answer are not limited to any restrictions. They mainly delve into: what are the sources of meaning, who influences this text, why did the creator make the text, who is absent and ignored in this text and why? A more specific question aimed toward popular culture would include: why is Jersey Shore a highly viewed show, though there are many proponents? What factors in global news make it a headline, who has the power in that decision-making, what are the intents, and how is the text perceived in different cultures. These questions look behind the veil to discern other meanings other than the main one presented. They lead us in finding what is persuasive by connecting to current dominant issues and ideologies within that culture. How well does the discourse in the text move, persuade, and convey a meaning? All types of artifacts are appropriate for rhetorical criticism. It is not only popular culture but events and actions that are seen as a whole. As long as the artifact can be perceived as a whole, have a widely shared meaning, and manifest a group identification to us it can be seen as appropriate. Texts comprise of an interrelated group of signals that revert you to the same feeling. In recent news, many Americans relate 9-11 to the news of Bin Ladens execution and Obamas speech addressing the situation. Another recent event that made news worldwide would be the Royal

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Jacqueline Huynh 3/8/2011 Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Princess Diana, royalty, aristocracy, and other symbols of the like combined with this wedding read as a text. Campbell (2006) could not have emphasized this any better when she states, wherever language and culture exists there is rhetoric, the challenge is uncovering its cultural forms and functions (360). Inspiration and curiosity spark the process of rhetoric. A text is chosen, analyzed, and critiqued. We find what is absent and what is present. What was the intended meaning and what are all other meanings that can be associated with it? I find the aspect of what is absent very interesting when looking at a text. My entire (American) high school education was thwarted to what the Western/ European world came to see the world as. I did not get to learn about first generation Americans or the story of those who lost battles. Within this process of criticism, there are different avenues or combination of avenues to follow. The types are as follows: cultural, Marxist, dramatic, media centered, psychoanalytic, and feminist. If we were to choose a media-centered text to critique, we would look at which mediums they are presented in (television or the Internet), how it has influenced and changed peoples behaviors, how has it commoditized our culture, how personal it affects us, and how it has cultivated our view on what the world is like (Brummett, 2011, 200). There are numerous amounts of texts in the world that will have a rhetorical critic acting as a detective. The process is never complete, but satisfied by the principles a critic finds. Anticipated findings in rhetorical criticism are hidden meanings, motivation, intent, and many other items of thought that go beyond consciousness. A pitfall or limitation of rhetorical criticism would be personal experience. In other words social

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Jacqueline Huynh 3/8/2011 agency plays a role on how we view issues. Coming from a single parent, low-income family and growing up on healthcare that was subsidized from the government, I have a certain view on healthcare being in the private sector. It is an issue that I am passionate about and would have a certain bias towards due to the main fact that I have had problems and unfortunate healthcare situations. Personal bias will always exist due to peoples different upbringings and experiences. Just as rhetoric is successful in persuasion, rhetorical criticism adds to the information conveyed through the discourse to allow others to come to different meanings. Rhetorical criticisms contribution allows you to look beyond assumptions. Especially assumptions that appear to be common-knowledge or prevalent among wide groups. You are able to find paradoxes that might otherwise be hidden. When reading Brummetts summaries and analysis of other writings on Afrocentrism, the tenets discussed brought me back to my own personal experiences and observations of Afrocentrism. Ultimately, we use symbols and signs to shape our everyday meaning of the world. Rhetoric allows us to see how these symbols and signs interact with each other and criticizing it is one tool used to evaluate ourselves and our environment. Rhetoric exists in all facets of life where texts are exhibited. Its critique benefits the global society by invoking people to ask questions all the while adding different meanings to the plethora of knowledge we hold.

Rhetorical Criticism

Jacqueline Huynh 3/8/2011

References Brummett, B. (2011). Rhetoric in Popular Culture. 3rd edition. Sage Publications Campbell, K. (2006). Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Rhetorical Criticism: Cultural Challenges to Rhetorical Criticism. In , Rhetoric Review (pp. 358-361). Taylor & Francis Ltd. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.