Rhetorical Citizenship Defined

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Rhetorical CitizenshipSometimes, it works.

Written by:

Alexandra Guevara


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Alexandra Guevara

Professor Wolcott

ENC3331

19 November 2012

Rhetorical Citizenship: Sometimes, it works.

Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men. The philosopher Plato once said about

this predominant word. To many, rhetoric is a symbol; a powerful movement to engage a desired

audience into an understanding of matters surrounding them. Regardless, the vast majority of

society has little to no understanding on what rhetorics function trulyis. Although many apply it

throughout their lifetime, not knowing the use of such a powerful movement could potentially

make it less beneficial and thus, by acquiring the knowledge to link rhetoric accordingly we can

then indentify how to apply citizenship.

The Roots of Rhetoric and Citizenship

The term rhetoric has been long introduced to us by philosophers such as Aristotle when

he defined it as the art of persuasion (37). Furthermore, rhetoric could be defined as the art of

speech in which the rhetorician attempts to persuade a given audience through verbal

communication alone. Aristotle argued that rhetoric is a practical skill that could be taught;

one just needs have the knowledge to further its use.

In contrast, when Isocrates defined rhetoric, he believed that it was a philosophy; the

ability to speak, to reason, and to act (203). Consequently, rhetorical would be the action done by

an individual to take initiative towards a certain goal. By tying Isocrates 3 principles that make


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up rhetoric, one can organize them into a chronological process in which an action will then take

place and by doing such, one can see how the process has its certain method of working to have

an impactful meaning.

Taken both sides into consideration, we can infer one common goal; it is a skill that

needs to be further taught in order to make the action happen. Once that has been defined, one

can then use the term rhetorical to link the definition with the action. Aristotle and Isocrates

concluded that by having a set of laws regarding the usage and management of rhetoric, one can

learn to productively acquire the right skills and knowledge to further pursue a plan for

addressing a certain concern to their desired audience.

In order to have a complete understanding on how to apply rhetoric(al) appropriately, one

needs to familiarize themselves with citizenship. The term citizenship has been wrongfully

misconstrued by our own public. According to Wan, as Americans when we first hear the word

citizenship, we have a tendency of making immediate associations with positive civic activities

such as voting (30). To further that argument, citizenship does not only entail the right of voting

but it also goes beyond its common stereotype.

Living in a technology-based society where social media is at its prime time, one gets

exposed to what the media wants them to think about a topicthe agenda setting of the day. As

a result, our own interpretation of an action can be easily manipulated due to the medias

opinion. With this in mind, one can conclude that at some point or another, we let others define

valuable information; citizenship being one.

A great example would be this past election. Vote because it counts is what the public

would hear from one news channel to the nextif thats how we are applying citizenship, theres


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not much hope for generations to come. The process of getting knowledge on the political party

of ones choice and the actions taken to assure that is the right person to run for office is the true

citizenship. By applying this concept one can then conclude that by acquiring knowledge on such

an important decision such as voting, true citizenship comes out.

One concept that interconnects both rhetorical and citizenship is that both need to be used

together in order to make an idea happen. Rhetorical is the action that one does in order to get

their voice to be heard, but one cant do that if they dont havethe required knowledge to apply

those concepts to their given audience. Therefore, in order to have social success one needs to

persuade their audience into viewing the manners in another light.

A Students Point of View

At the beginning of the semester, my professor assigned us a student profile project.

What this project consisted of was to interview students who have great involvement on campus

and how they apply civic engagement into their activities. Little did I know, it was going to be a

great way to show young individuals applying true citizenship at the university and the benefits

that students such as myself get from their actions. Looking back at my first assignment, I came

to the realization that one person can make a difference no matter where they areas long as

they make themselves heard.

During my freshman year in college I was profoundly engaged with an organization

called ASPIRA. ASPIRA is a Hispanic organization that teaches Latino students leadership roles

by providing them with the skills needed to make a difference in their community. ASPIRA is

heavily involved in volunteer work throughout Palm Beach County amongst other projects such


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as leadership workshops and seminars. Being a member of ASPIRA taught me how to find the

inner strength to make my thoughts into actions.

Volunteer work played a critical role in this organization. Every weekend, if not all, we

would get together and brainstorm ideas for our next volunteer work. Each member would come

up with an organization they would like to devote some time with, contact them, and plan an

event that will be both beneficial to ASPIRA and the organization/place of their choice. Since it

was my first year and I didnt have much experience with the way they chose their volunteer

projects, I decided to contact my old elementary school to see if they needed any extra hands. To

my surprise, I was quickly contacted back and asked if I wanted to assist them with Hispanic

Heritage Month. When I look back at that year, at everything I got accomplished, I get a sense of

honor because I made an impact on my old elementary school and community.

In my opinion, to apply citizenship one needs to begin small. Get acquainted with

something that is both of interest and has a bigger picture; a message behind the scenes. I applied

citizenship by helping organize a month long event that gave back to the Hispanic community in

Palm Beach County. Hispanics roots are very important and I wanted my audience (both the

school and the parents) to know that those roots are just getting bigger and by showcasing the

students talents and knowledge on their own Hispanic heritage, I made an impact on the

importance of where they came from.

Rhetoric and Citizenship Defined

I will always argue that to define rhetorical citizenship one needs to be knowledgeable

on some aspect. I applied rhetorical citizenship by getting part of my community involved on a

very important aspect which is our roots. At the end, the most valuable part of the whole process


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was knowing that my actions led to more individuals wanting to be a part of the Hispanic

Heritage month project and by doing so, we were able to make an impact on the school and the

community.

At the end, no one can give us the right definition of rhetorical citizenship; it is a broad

term that can be interpreted depending on ones views. One can read about rhetoric, one can

listen and comment on it but its not until that individual sets out to do something beneficial, it is

just another term being thrown around. To me, its about taking action into a matter that is of

relevance to ones desired outcome for the future. As long as we can see the connection of the

action and the knowledge required to maintain the action going, we are applying rhetorical

citizenship accordingly.


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Works Cited

Aristotle:On Rhetoric. Book 1:Chapter 1.Print.

Too, Yun Lee.Isocrates:Antidosis. Oxford University Press. 2008. Print.

Wan, Amy J. In the Name of Citizenship: The Writing Classroom and the Promise of Citizenship.

Vol. 74, No. 1. 2011. Print.

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Rhetorical Citizenship Defined