Now that we have spent some time attending to images as a unique medium, I am inviting you to think with me about a question. It is obvious images can do powerful rhetorical work, but how do images persuade us in ways that are different from texts? In other words, how do we get persuaded by an essay? How do we get persuaded by an image? How are these two approaches different?

Also, in light of our in-class discussion about the lack of clarity/structure/time for assignment, I am inviting you to formulate your complaint/rant/anxiety/frustration in the form of a proposal. In your opinion, what can I do to better structure class discussions and assignments? I’d appreciate your feedback. Let’s strip away the rhetorics and get down to what you think will work better!

Thanks much!

just so you know, I have been reading your blog posts，which I very much enjoyed. I liked how this platform has somehow created a different environment for people to share their thoughts and ideas on things we talk about in class more openly and honestly. Feel free to post your comments and questions on particular issues you have had. You need to allow people to reply if you want my reply. 

//nod nod.

It takes a lot of courage to tell personal stories. 

thoughtssaidbyles:

I think that many people are naturally hesitant when it comes to sharing personal stories about their private lives. They may feel uncomfortable sharing that type of information with strangers because they may not understand them or fear the way the audience will view them.

I used to be very shy…

Share with us some of your thoughts in making a digital story about very personal matters. Do you feel there is a sense of dissonance embedded in this practice? I mean, people often do not feel comfortable sharing the most private aspects of their lives with the rest of the world? Or do they? What seems to be the point of sharing a personal story with people you might not even know?

Let’s talk about history. Now what is the role of history in contemporary experiences? You notice that Newt Gingrich’s “concession speech” in Florida draws on Gettysburg address to promote a “people’s campaign.” As a rhetorical tool, that small piece plays a rather important in projecting him as a particular kind of candidate, especially in opposition to his opponents. The historical is always present and it shapes how we experience the world and how we interpret these experiences. The same goes with the kind of historical inquiry we engage in.

Let’s talk about what we might gain or learn from looking back. What do we learn from history? By history I don’t mean the Greeks, the Renaissance, Shakespeare, or all the dead president. Instead, I am talking about the history that we all experience and help to construct. What do we gain from critically examining the history we and our ancestors live(d) in?

Comment on what you can discover/rediscover through a historical form of inquiry into a particular aspect of your family’s experiences. What did you find surprising from sharing your peers’ stories? What did you like and dislike about sharing personal stories in an official setting?

Also, storytelling seems such an important but often overlooked aspect of our cultural experiences. When do you tell stories about yourself and for what purposes?

I am not embarrassed to confess that I often have an altruistic goals for telling personal stories—I tell stories to get others into telling their stories. I tell stories to my children so that they can hold on to their cultural heritage. 

         What is a typical rhetorical situation that “invites” your academic writing? What other rhetorical situations do you encounter in life to invite your non-academic writing? How are these two types of rhetorical situations different?  What is an ideal rhetorical situation that will invite you to write willingly and enthusiastically?  

survive!