Rhetoric and Civic Life

Rhetoric is beauty. Rhetoric is the key to communicating effectively, and communication is beautiful. According to dictionary.com, rhetoric is: the ability to use language effectively. What is communication if it is not effective? I believe it is just words. The way in which people write things can determine how it can be understood. Incorporating pathos, logos, and ethos are strategies people utilize to draw others in to what is being said. Or it can be to persuade someone to partake in certain activities or feel a particular feeling. Advertisements are a perfect example. Most use emotion and logic (facts) to get the public to believe and buy into a product. That is why Rhetoric is power. If used effectively, it can have an empowering effect or a negative impact. Rhetoric has the capability to make you buy a product, adopt a practice, live a certain life, or change what you believe in. Rhetoric comes in different forms. It is especially popular in music. The way songs are put together, song writers persuade us to dance a certain way, dress in a specific manner, and even make us believe that only if we follow suite, we can be as prominent as them. I can even attest that I feed into their language. I have fallen into materialism because they convince me it will reflect a more cunning image, when in reality it shows insecurities. I believe rhetoric correlates with the audience. If your audience is interested in your language than they will be more interested in being persuaded to do something. How else does rhetoric tie in to civic life, and why do you think we use rhetoric strategically rather than accidentally? Do you think that if there was no interest from an intended audience that language can be persuasive, and inturn effective? What ways in society do we use it besides in writing? Lastly, how do you use rhetoric to effectively communicate in your life? I ask this because the way you use rhetoric can be the difference between landing a huge corporate deal or failing in your attempt. Rhetoric is simply effective communication. If you can communicate effectively, you can network. If you network with the right people, life-changing opportunities will arise.