Introductions

Hello! and Welcome to my new blog. If you find through Indiana Eponine, be forewarned that this is a different kind of blog. The basis of this blog is look at the study of Rhetoric and delve into how it intersects with Humor. In this post I will be giving a short overview of basic Rhetorical background. And in subsuquent posts I will be discussing some therories of Humor and laughter, and how they work in within the dynamic of a rhetorical situation. This endeavor is being spurred on by a class, but who knows this may be a topic I continue to work with in the new year.

So to start everyone knows what Humor is. But what is a rhetorical situation? What is Rhetoric to begin with? To put it simply Rhetoric is the art of Persuasion. It's the ability to skillfully use words to bring about a certain response, Wordsmithing, if you will. Aristotle broke down rhetoric into three main components: The character of the speaker, the appeal to the audience's emotions, and the message. Sounds simple enough, right? Who hasn't choosen words carefully around parents or children? Who hasn't been swayed by powerfull political speaches? But how about this Rhetorical Situation? There seems to be a bit of controversy over that definition. For class we read two apposing essays to try to decipher the idea. Llyod F. Bitzer suggests that the rhetorical situation is innate in the event. The situation calls out to be spoken about. However Richard E. Vatz argues that people create Rhetorical Situations through their personal choices to speak on an event. An event that occurs in a foreign country can be labeled a catastrophe in our press or the story can be buried. It all depends on the people involved.

Being an English major, I like Vatz's arguemnt. It basically boils down to filters. Who filters, in this case, the news? Who's moral compass is tweaked by the event? In the case of literature, different people get different things from the same work. So who's to say that the same filters don't affect the rest of life. Politics is a prime example of this. Everyone has an agenda and for the most part they are varied across the political scene.

So there's a real quick intro to some of the basics. Next Post: Plato!