What is rhetoric?
Rhetoric is the art of finding the best available means of persuasion for the given audience.
What is an Argument?
An argument is an attempt to solve a problem where there are two or more conflicting positions.
It contains three defining characteristics:
1. An argument justifies its claims.
2. It is both truth seeking and persuasive.
3. It is both a product and a part of a larger process.
It contains three defining characteristics:
1. An argument justifies its claims.
2. It is both truth seeking and persuasive.
3. It is both a product and a part of a larger process.
TRACE (rhetorical situation)
The Rhetorical Situation is the context in which an argument is presented. It contains five categories: Text, Reader, Author, Constraints, and Exigence (TRACE).
Text: (the medium of delivering the argument)
Fed Up- documentary from May 2014
"Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and director Stephanie Soechtig, FED UP will change the way you eat forever. The film opens in theaters across the country on May 9th."
Reader: (the argument's target audience)
The writers of the movie try to reach out to all who are affected by obesity or anyone who has a chance of being affected. That is a wide variety of people as most Americans are the target of the advertising of the food industry.
The movie tries to reach out to anyone that purchases food. Many of these are parents who are developing eating habits for their children. The documentary appeals to them by using famous people they should know and by appealing to their parental instincts by showing the lives of children affected.
Author: (the argument's constructor)
Director and Producer: Stephanie Soechtig
Soechtig is best know for her role in the production of the award-winning documentary Tapped. She is known as "stunning" and "whip-smart" and has won countless honors for her productions.
Producer: Katie Couric
Couric is a world class journalist and TV personality. She is the executive producer of Fed Up, and narrated the documentary as well.
Constraints: (Something that limits the reach of the argument.)
The biggest constraint of the argument is the format in which it is presented. The documentary only reaches those who have the means to see it- an audience member must have a television as well as access to a DVD or Blu Ray disc to play the documentary, or a laptop with an apple iTunes account and a credit or debit card to pay for the movie.
Because the audience is the United States, those consuming these unhealthy foods may argue that they are consuming less expensive goods due to the economic downturn. The foods in school cafeterias are limited by state and federal budgets, which will be difficult to increase.
Exigence (Kairos - the immediacy of an issue)
This documentary was created in 2014. The world, especially the United States in particular, is currently facing an obesity epidemic and is still trying to figure out the root cause. Fed Up is trying to raise awareness for this problem, in a time where it seems so evident that awareness needs to be raised.
Text: (the medium of delivering the argument)
Fed Up- documentary from May 2014
"Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and director Stephanie Soechtig, FED UP will change the way you eat forever. The film opens in theaters across the country on May 9th."
Reader: (the argument's target audience)
The writers of the movie try to reach out to all who are affected by obesity or anyone who has a chance of being affected. That is a wide variety of people as most Americans are the target of the advertising of the food industry.
The movie tries to reach out to anyone that purchases food. Many of these are parents who are developing eating habits for their children. The documentary appeals to them by using famous people they should know and by appealing to their parental instincts by showing the lives of children affected.
Author: (the argument's constructor)
Director and Producer: Stephanie Soechtig
Soechtig is best know for her role in the production of the award-winning documentary Tapped. She is known as "stunning" and "whip-smart" and has won countless honors for her productions.
Producer: Katie Couric
Couric is a world class journalist and TV personality. She is the executive producer of Fed Up, and narrated the documentary as well.
Constraints: (Something that limits the reach of the argument.)
The biggest constraint of the argument is the format in which it is presented. The documentary only reaches those who have the means to see it- an audience member must have a television as well as access to a DVD or Blu Ray disc to play the documentary, or a laptop with an apple iTunes account and a credit or debit card to pay for the movie.
Because the audience is the United States, those consuming these unhealthy foods may argue that they are consuming less expensive goods due to the economic downturn. The foods in school cafeterias are limited by state and federal budgets, which will be difficult to increase.
Exigence (Kairos - the immediacy of an issue)
This documentary was created in 2014. The world, especially the United States in particular, is currently facing an obesity epidemic and is still trying to figure out the root cause. Fed Up is trying to raise awareness for this problem, in a time where it seems so evident that awareness needs to be raised.
