Rachel M Fredette

Lindsay Russel
ENGL 481
September 28th, 2016
The Fate of Rhetoric
1. Whatiscomposition?(Isitanart,adisposition,acivicaction,amodeof
scholarship?)
a. IntheopeningparagraphtheauthorstatesAcitizenrynothabituatedto
thoughtfulargumentaboutpublicaffairs,butrathertrainedtobelieve
everythingsupportingmysideanddisbelieveeverythingsupportingthe
badside,isnolongeracitizenrybutahouseofgullible(89).Ithink
throughthisheissayingthatideallycompositionisthemakeupofan
argumentthattakesbothsidesintoconsideration.Orrathercompositionis
lessaboutcomposingandpushingforwardyourideasandmoreabout
listentoothersideas.Andthatisopenmindedandwillingtolistentoand
understandthosewhohavedifferingviewpoints.However,therealitythat
henotesisthatcompositionthatistaughttodayismorelikeacensorship.
Essentially,everythingsupportingyourargumentisgoodandtruewhile
everythingsupportingtheopposingargumentisbadandfalse.
2. Whataretheconsequencesofcomposition?Whatisatstakeinitspractice?What
happensifwepracticegoodcomposition?Badcomposition?(Howisitimportant
ordangeroustoknowledge,theperson,thecommunity,thefuture?)
a. Practicinggoodcompositionmeansweareopeningourselvesuptoother
possibilitiesandallowingdiscussionstobeformedfromourarguments.
Badcompositionmeansthatwearentinvitingconversationsintoour
ideasandpracticesandratherbelievethereisonlyonerightway.Thetext
focusesespeciallyonteachersandhowweteachthiscomposition.Inother
wordsthelatterisduetoteacherswhostressregurgitationofdailyfact
menus,ratherthancriticalthinkingandproductivearguing,howarekids
tolearnthattoconductaproductiveargumentisfarmoreimportantand
rewardingthatlearninghownottospellweirdaswierd,orwhenitis
legitimatetosplitaninfinitive,oreventoendasentencewitha
preposition?(94).Badcompositioncomesintheformofwhenwefocus
ontherebeingawrongorrighttoanargument.Ifthereisaright,thenwe
arenolongercritiquinganargumentorcriticalthinkingskills,weare
teachingregurgitationandthustheonlythingateacherlooksforbeyond
therightanswerwouldbeconventionsandmundanethingsintheart
thatiswriting.
3. Howisitdone?Whatparticularskillsorstrategieswouldoneneedtopracticeor
inordertoperfectthiskindofcomposition?
a. Onpage99theauthorwritesPreachavaluedontsmokeandmany
kidsseeitasastrongmotiveforsmoking.Itisonlybyexperiencingthe
sheerfunandpersonalprofitforgenuinelistening,followedbyreally
productiveargument,thatstudentscanembracethehighestvirtueofall:
respectforothers,producingtrustfulexchange(99).Ithinkthatwhathe

issayingisthatinsteadoffocusingontherightorthewrongsideto
anargument,orwhatismoralorimmoral,thatweneedtofocusonthe
listeningpartofanargument.Weneedtofocusnotsomuchonthe
argumentwearemaking,butfindingawaytorespectfullycommunicate
andacceptallviewpoints.Byengagingwiththeargumentitself,
experiencingwhatitisthatpeoplearearguingforandexperiencingboth
sidesofit.Essentiallyonemustteachstudentshowtoengageresearch
frombothsidesbecausenothingismoreeducationallychallengingthan
confronting,inonesownhead,twoopposingcases,thenlistening
sympatheticallytoalloftheargumentsonbothsides(103).Thispartof
thearticlegoesevenfurthertoclaimthatweneedtonotonlylistento
bothsides,butlistensympathetically.Thismeansthatwemustexperience
fullythedepthofbothargumentsandunderstandwhyeachcanbelieve
thattheyareintherightsideoftheargument.
4. Whoisand/orshouldbeinvolvedincomposition,particularlyasacomposer,
writer,rhetor?And,byextension,whoshouldntbe?
a. Ithinktheauthorfocusesonhowweshouldallbeinvolvedin
composition,butonlyifwedoitcorrectly.Becausecompositionaffects
societyandsocialvalues.Thereisapushforallstudentstobecome
devotedtobuildingagenuineSOCietythatis,aSOCialworldwhere
SOCialvaluesareatthecenter.TheabilitytocreategenuineLRbey
removingmisunderstandingisnotpursued[]ineverydiscipline(104).
Essentiallyeveryoneshouldbeinvolvedinthecompositionbutonlyafter
wearetaughtcorrectly.Theauthorpushesmoresothatinsteadofhaving
compositionandrhetoricbeforacertaingroupofpeopleitshouldbefor
everyonesothateverysidegetsheard,butweneedtoteachitinaway
thatallowsforeveryonetobeinvolved.
5. Howiscompositiontaught?Towhatend?(Isitteachable,unteachable,teachable
toapoint?)
a. Thereissomuchstandardizationandrotelearningintheschoolsandit
comesfromalllevelsoftheschoolsystem.Thereforecompositionis
teachable,butthosewhoaredoingtheteachingneedtobetaught.
Compositionistaughtthroughtheschoolsandallteachersand
administratorsneedtobespecializedinRhetEd.Thosewhowanttobein
governmentneedstospendtimeteachingcommunication(105).
Compositionessentiallyisusedasawaytocommunicateandthatshowit
shouldbetaught.HowevertheauthoracknowledgesNothingremotely
likeRhetopiawilleverberealized.Whowouldwanttoliveinacountry
withsomanylawsviolatingourfreedomtochooseourownformof
miseducation?Sothepointisnotjusttpwakeupafewprofessorsinevery
fieldtoseerhetoricsrelevancetowhatheydo;itshouldbeclearthat[]
thiscelebrationisaddressedtoallreaderswhocareabouttheskills
requiredtoachieveunderstanding(106).Hebelievesthateveryone

shouldbetaughtthiswayofthinking,asitisteachable,butnoteveryone
isgoingtowanttoorchoosetobetaughtthisway.