Rhetorical Reading Reading Rhetorically

Writing Rhetorically “The process of reading is not just the interpretation of a text, but the Understanding Academic Discourse interpretation of another person’s worldview as presented by a text.” —Doug Brent

Kathleen Dudden Rowlands, Ph.D. California State University, Northridge [email protected] www.csun.edu/~krowlands 1 2

Rhetorical Writing Rhetorical Writing

The process of writing is an individual’s ‡ Aristotle defines RHETORIC as presentation of an interpretation—a discovering (and using) the available “worldview”—to an audience of readers. means of persuasion in a given situation. ‡ Today we use the term to refer to all the techniques a writer or speaker might use to influence readers or listeners and modify their understanding of a subject.

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Rhetorical Reading/Writing Rhetorical Writing When we teach RHETORICAL WRITING, Rhetorical Reading = Reception we teach students to ask: ‡Who is my audience? Rhetorical Writing = Production ‡What am I writing about (content)? ‡What is my purpose? ‡How should (will) I position myself in relation to audience, purpose, and content?

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1 Rhetorical Reading Writing and Reading When we teach RHETORICAL READING, The RHETORICAL The RHETORICAL we teach students to ask these questions: WRITER asks: READER asks: ‡Who is speaking (who is the author?) ‡ Who am I as the ‡ Who is speaking (who ‡To whom (audience)? constructed writer? is the author?) ‡About what (content)? ‡ Who is my audience? ‡ To whom (audience)? ‡To what end (purpose)? ‡ What am I writing ‡ About what content)? about (content)? ‡HOW does the speaker/author present the argument (how is LANGUAGE is used ‡ What is my purpose? ‡ To what end to influence me)? (purpose)?

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Rhetorical Reading Rhetorical Reading Rhetorical reading requires rhetorical ETHOS: Who is the author? analysis.

‡How is the author qualified to write on This is analysis of the RHETOR—the this subject? speaker/writer and his/her verbal actions. ‡How does the author make himself or herself seem credible to the intended This is also referred to as “critical reading” audience? (Is the author credible to me?) or “critical literacy.”

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Rhetorical Reading Rhetorical Reading PATHOS: What is the relationship between LOGOS: What is the content and purpose? the writer and the audience? ‡Who is the the intended audience? (Am I ‡ What questions does the text address? part of that group?) ‡ ‡How does the author hook the intended Why are they significant questions? reader? (e.g. humor, emotion, logic) ‡ What community cares about them? ‡How does the author keep the reader ‡ How does the author support his or her reading? position with reasons and evidence? ‡How am I responding to these appeals? Why? (How does this writer’s worldview accord with mine?) 11 12

2 Rhetorical Reading Rhetorical Reading LOGOS: What is the content and purpose? When we teach RHETORICAL READING, we are NOT teaching strategies.

‡ Do I find the argument convincing? ‡ What views and counter arguments are Strategies are ANALYTICAL TOOLS for omitted? accessing textual content . ‡ What counter evidence is ignored? ‡ How does the author’s purpose fit with my Strategies are ANALYTICAL TOOLS to purpose for reading? support the processes of making meaning from texts.

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Rhetorical Reading Rhetorical Writing When we teach RHETORICAL READING, When we teach RHETORICAL WRITING, we are teaching HABITS OF MIND— we are NOT teaching forms or formulas. ANALYTICAL CONCEPTS that position texts rhetorically, and that MAKE Forms and formulas are “training wheels” CONSCIOUS an awareness of the reader’s that substitute language patterns for position(s) and response(s) to a text. genuine consideration of audience, purpose, and content.

Instead of forms and formulas, we teach processes of producing meaningful texts.

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A Key Question to Ask: Kenneth Burke “Imagine you enter a parlor. You come in late. When you arrive, others have long What CONVERSATION is this text preceded you, and they are engaged in a joining? heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what Human utterances—spoken or written— it is about. In fact, the discussion had already begun long before any of them got are always within a context of what has there, so that no one present is qualified to gone before and what will come retrace for you all the steps that had gone afterwards. before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. 17 18

3 Kenneth Burke Within the conversational context:

“Someone answers; you answer him; ‡ What CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE do you another comes to your defense; another need in order to participate? aligns himself against you, to either the ‡ How do you acquire it? embarrassment or gratification of your ‡ What PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE (how to opponent, depending upon the quality of read a particular genre, for example) do your ally’s assistance. However, the you need to have in order to participate? discussion is interminable. The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, ‡ How do you acquire it? with the discussion still vigorously in progress.”

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What are we teaching? Reading and Writing Instruction

‡ Processes of reading Why must these lessons be made ‡ Processes for writing explicit and repeated? ‡ Habits of mind

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Reading and Writing Instruction Social Studies Genres

„ Timelines „ Historical descriptions „ Written debates (factual, narrative) ‡ Discipline specific „ Persuasive „ Biographies ‡ Genre specific essays/arguments „ Posters „ Analytical essays „ Maps and charts ‡ Students OFTEN do not transfer strategies (compare and contrast; „ Research papers and habits of mind from classroom to cause and effect) classroom, from discipline to discipline „ Interviews without explicit help.

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4 Science Genres Mathematics Genres

„ Lab Reports „ Abstracts ‡ Proofs (procedures) „ Research papers ‡ Word problems „ Journals „ Science fiction „ Field notes „ Persuasive essays ‡ Refutations „ Explanations „ Written debates ‡ Process writing „ Arguments „ Letters ‡ Strategy logs „ Descriptions „ Editorials ‡ Problem/solution ‡ Cause and effect ‡ Evaluation

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English/Language Arts Genres English/Language Arts Genres

‡ Short stories ‡ CAHSEE GENRES: ‡ Poems „ Biographical essay „ Response to literature ‡ Personal narratives „ Persuasion ‡ Exposition: Analytical essays „ Business letter (enumeration, classification. part-to- whole, cause and effect, comparison/contrast). ‡ Exposition: Extended definition ‡ Persuasion/argument

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Rhetorical Reading and Rhetorical Writing

‡ Teaching one can inform development of the other. ‡ Teachers have to make the links explicit for learners.

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