Introduction: Rhetoric, defined.

“The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing.” This is how the New Oxford American Dictionary defines “rhetoric.” But before I took LA101H, rhetoric often carried the negative connotation associated with the empty fluff and trickery politicians employ for the sole purpose of gaining support and votes. I neither understood it nor believed it was important enough to devote a whole class to the study of rhetoric. As a result, I entered LA101H with a few misgivings, not quite sure of what to expect.

But as my journey through LA101H draws to an end, I have come to realize that rhetoric holds so much more value, misrepresented and misunderstood by so many of us.  Rhetoric is literally everywhere—as we’ve worked through the semester on assignments of ad analyses, motivational speeches and persuasive essays, I’ve learned to find rhetoric in advertisements and seemingly trifling fashion magazines in addition to political speeches. I’ve learned how I can effectively use rhetoric, whether it’s engaging an audience’s attention using pathos, or trying to persuade and motivate them by using pathos, ethos or logos. I’ve learned that while you may have the most convincing arguments, and the most well prepared speech, you’ll be hard pressed to connect with your audience if you can’t convey adequate ethos. As with so many other things though, rhetoric is wielded as a double-edge sword. Though it may be employed effectively to convince people, it can also be used to brainwash or manipulate people—and in trying to persuade someone, an inadequate understanding of rhetoric can ultimately result in the downfall of your argument. This e-portfolio showcases the best work I feel I have accomplished in LA101H as a student in understanding rhetoric and effectively employing it through speech, writing, and blog samples.