English 576          History and Theories of Rhetoric

Questions We Will Be Asking about Most Rhetors

1.  What connections does this writer establish back to the rhetorical tradition in which she is operating?

2.  OTOH, how does this rhetor differ from those who came before her?  What is unique about her work?

3.  What did this writer contribute to rhetorical theory?

4.  Why do we remember this writer?  Should we continue to study her work?

5.  How does this writer's work fit within the context of her time?  Is there possible "temporal interference" that might make us read her work very differently than she might have intended? 

6.  How can we use some of this rhetor's ideas in the teaching of writing in the 21st Century?

7.  Does this writer articulate a philosophy of rhetoric -- i.e., does she establish a basic idea of what this is all good for, what separates good rhetoric from bad?

8.  If the writer doesn't articulate a philosophy of rhetoric, what philosophy of rhetoric is implicit in the way she attempts to persuade us?

9.  What ideas about how society should work are implicit in the work of this rhetor?

10.  What did you learn from this rhetor that you can apply to persuasive situations you encounter?

11.  Is this rhetorician a good candidate for the Rhetorical Analysis paper?  Does she propose specific ways of reading, specific things to look for in a text?

12.  What is the rhetor's/rhetorician's epistemological theory (implicit or explicit)?  How does she believe human beings come to know what we know?

13.  What is the rhetor's/rhetorician's psychological theory (implicit or explicit)?  What, in her opinion, motivates people or can move them?

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