critical stance

to review

Stoner and Perkins (chap 1) list five characteristics of rhetoric - five characteristics that are not so much a litmus test for deciding whether a text is rhetorical but that provide a way of reading messages as rhetorical.

• rhetoric typically addresses public audiences
• rhetoric is purposeful
• rhetoric responds to and creates more or less obvious social concerns
• rhetoric relies on verbal and non-verbal symbols
• rhetoric shapes the way people think, act, believe, and feel

In coming to understand how messages work, we an start by considering what elements are rhetorically active in a message. The purpose of this exercise is not to come to any conclusions or evaluations but to start to see what can be seen as rhetorical affordances.

Take a critical stance - a balcony view - to consider what elements are rhetorical in the message you've been given. That is, identify the elements the rhetors can use and do use to address what rhetorical ends, and how they seem to use those elements.

Consider both the text and the medium, in light of the apparent aim of the message. Look at

• arrangement of the text: progression from sentence to sentence, para to para, section to section...

Columns, lists, bold headings, ingredients are indented; Recipes have short descriptions, followed by ingredients and instructions. Prose in formal sentences.

• style of the text: formal, informal, semi-formal ... close to the audience or more distant

Prose is mostly formal, descriptive. Text seems close to the audience, written for food lovers, etc.

• use of space and layout of the page

Column use is a good use of space, not a lot of white space; easy to read the recipe; good description of ingredients

• selection of an use of images

No images on these pages; not sure if there are on other pages; images may enhance content depending upon the user.

• use of color and shape and placement: for aesthetic ends, for rhetorical ends (including informational ends)