Kairos

Unit Four Blog Two - Kairos

            The idea behind Kairos is all about placement. How do you fit your argument into a place where it will be heard, understood and able to reach its full effectiveness? The answer is timing. Ramage, Bean and Johnson describe the word “Kairo” to mean appropriate for the occasion (116).  

To take it one step further, it is about placing your argument in the best possible situation where the most optimum results will occur. For example, the argument about whether or not the United States military should receive pay raises would be best brought up at this time because Osama Bin Laden has just been killed by a division of the United States military. They have eliminated a person that brought great catastrophe and devastation to millions of people and because of their heroic actions, the kairos of the argument of whether or not they should receive substantial pay raises based on the degree to which they place their lives in danger would be best brought up now. Another example, maybe not so broad in terms, is the argument about smoking. From the perspective of kairos, the argument would fit right in after someone suffered a lengthy illness, like a heart attack, because of smoking cigarettes. Maybe the person’s doctor could bring up the argument at the check-up following the illness and though the person may not want to hear it, the doctor could create the kairotic moment by showing the evidence of what smoking caused and the pain the person went through because of smoking. If you carefully plan when and where to introduce the argument, the dynamics behind the kairos is used to the fullest extent and that is where the whole dramatic effect of the argument comes in to play.

Ramage, Bean and Johnson explain that there are no rules to help you determine the right kairotic moment for your argument, but being attuned to kairos will help you “read” your audience and rhetorical situation in a dynamic way (118). This is the situation where you have to have a keen awareness of the situation you are in before you present your argument. 

            Kairos are just as important to an argument as ethos, logos and pathos are. With the use of the three components of the rhetorical triangle along with kairos, the effectiveness of an argument is reached and goal of reaching and persuading your audience is accomplished.

                                                                                                                                   

Works Cited

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: a Rhetoric with Readings. New York: Pearson Longman, 2010. Print.

Going Back to the Rhetorical Triangle

Unit Four Blog One – The Rhetorical Triangle

            The components of the rhetorical triangle, ethos, logos and pathos, are the heart of an argument. They make or break an argument and without them, writings would just be words that meant nothing. Ramage, Bean and Johnson urge writers to think about ethos, logos and pathos as more of different lamps and filters used on theatre spotlights rather than “ingredients” in an essay (109). Their description paints more of a picture of strengthening an essay rather than adding decoration to it. Ethos, logos and pathos work together, hand-in-hand and without one the other two are lost.

 Ethos, Greek for “character”, emphasizes the need for the writer to be trustworthy, credible and an attention-grabber (62). Logos, Greek for “word”, require the message be of quality and sound in order to be understood and believed (62). Last, pathos, Greek for “suffering” or “experience”, is all about the grabbing the attention of the audience and keeping them focused, emotionally and imaginatively (63). These three structures of an argument are the dynamics to an essay and they all three work together to in order for the essay be of any quality.

The beauty to the rhetorical triangle is that the three components can be used interchangeably to appeal to the reader. For instance, images are a powerful way to engage an audience emotionally by using pictures or other images (115). But also, images can be used to relay the message (word) of the argument and can be done so in a way that captures the audience and yet still sends the point out as to the objectiveness of the argument. 

When an argument is created, the three components of the rhetorical triangle are used and when used correctly, the argument goes from being just words about something to a powerful message about a topic that the writer is passionate about that drives its message into the heart of the reader. This is the effectiveness that a writer strives for in every essay and with the help of the rhetorical triangle, it can be accomplished.

Works Cited

            Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: a Rhetoric with Readings. New York: Pearson Longman, 2010. Print.

Response to Julie

Julie – I loved your blog regarding the Save the Children campaign. I was also presented with media regarding helping children and it caught my eyes. Mine had to do with childrens’ education but I could see where the headline, Save the Children, caught your attention. It is heartbreaking that there is pain and suffering throughout the world and what a way to do your part. I too am leery about giving monetary donations to charities because of the fraud it sometimes presents but by making hats, you helped not only the children but also their caregivers. Those children flyers sure are a way to reach millions of people because who wants to hear about them suffering? Not me. It is easy to ignore the fact that they need our help but by reading it and thereby somewhat experiencing it, you get the full effect. Way to go, Julie. I just might have to try helping in the same way, as well.

Proposal Arguments

Proposing an Argument

            Unit 15, Proposal Arguments, contains important information because they are the type of arguments that are used the most and like the chapter suggests, they require action. Proposal arguments, for me, contain bait-and-hook like information because they are used to get you to take a side and then take action in defending your stance. Whether the argument is about something minor like raising utility taxes in your community or a more broad subject such as health care reform, the point is for you to decide what your position is and then do something to support your claim, maybe attend town meetings and let your voice be heard or writing to your Senator about an issue.  In developing your proposal argument, Ramage, Bean and Johnson suggest that you first win your audience over by emphasizing that a there is an issue at hand and then use your evidence to support your claim by presenting statistics or by showing your audience in some way, the problem at hand. Some proposal arguments use media advertising to focus on a certain audience while others use their actions to speak their words. While so many types of arguments are important, one cannot overemphasize the need for proposal arguments. I would much rather write a proposal argument because it is a challenge and sometimes a very difficult challenge. The most important part of the challenge is winning over your audience. I always want people to agree with me in my arguments and if I can actually persuade someone to listen to me and my claims and then influence them then I consider my writing an accomplishment. Persuading is more of a skill that some writers have and some do not. You can learn to persuade if you do not have the natural ability but being able to persuade is not something you are born with. On the other hand, listening to other writer’s proposal arguments can be somewhat frustrating because I want everyone to agree with me and my ways of thinking. If the writer presents evidence that I either chose not to adhere to or just did not know, then I am forced to think about my own stance. By thinking about my own stance, I may be motivated to change my mind on a proposal. That can be a good thing though and the older I get the more I realize that it is okay to be influenced by other beliefs and sometimes my way of thinking is not always the right way. I agree with Ramage, Bean and Johnson when they emphasize, “effective proposal writing constitutes one of the most powerful ways you can identify and help solve problems” (311).  The more you argue, the better chance you have of someone listening to you and the more people that listen, the more people will do something.

Works Cited

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: a Rhetoric with Readings. New York: Pearson Longman, 2010. Print.