Students in Dr. Nicole Pfannenstiel’s summer 2025 writing seminar crafted blog posts exploring Rhetoric & Composition. Over the next several weeks, we will share their work in this space to bring visibility to their posts and offer a variety of perspectives on pertinent topics within Rhetoric & Composition. These posts are written by graduate students currently in the MA and M.Ed. English programs.
Rhetoric Definition Digital Entry
By: James Atland
Rhetoric can be defined as a sort of linguistic performance where craft informs it every
step of the way. The ultimate aim of the speaker is to perform a sort of “master song” (Habinek
45), executed so well that an audience is thoroughly persuaded and shares in an invention
similar to the speaker’s original vision.
The speaker is like a magician “effect[ing] the transformation, even generation, of reality
through mastery of language…, [of] material into a socially significant linguistic artifact, namely a
speech” (Habinek 52-53). In the invention, the skilled speaker transforms the foreign to the
non-foreign, the unknown to the known, what is outside of society to something socially
significant or relevant.
Invention as a term is misleading since it implies imagination or fiction. However, the
speechmaker does not make things up, as the ancient Greek philosophers implied. Instead, the
speaker “takes them out–of the evidence, of the witnesses, the defense, the expectations of the
community…. Hence, the teaching of invention came to prioritize careful analysis of the issue at
hand” (Habinek 47). Thus, invention involves finding the best proofs and arrangement in
presenting a persuasive argument, whether it be a speech or composition.
The arrangement or presentation of ideas is sometimes referred to as composition,
which involves how ideas come together to form a piece of writing. Rhetoric is important to this
study because it informs the design every step of the way. Rhetorical choices must be made
about purpose, style, arrangement, argument, modes, and media, etc.
The three canons of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, and style) provide a useful model
for the student composing a speech. Invention (what proofs are the most persuasive),
arrangement (how to structure a composition), and style (rhetorical devices, syntax, sound
effects, figures of speech, etc.) are all useful methods. On the other hand, the three canons are
sometimes insufficient in dealing with the more complex communications of the modern world.
Many media resources exist for modern communication, and a message can be
disseminated quickly. The mode a speaker chooses to distribute a message has become more
important. Some communication is instantaneous, while others can take several years. When it
comes to other, more modern forms of communication beyond written composition, as Andrews
argues, the field of rhetoric needs to be made more adaptable. For example, Andrews mentions
“image, moving image, gesture, choreographed moves” (“Why Rhetoric?” 17).
It is more appropriate to call a “rhetor” a “composer” (“Why Rhetoric?” 16-17). It is no
longer appropriate to refer to a composer as only “he,” as they did in the past, for the composer
could be anyone. Highly defined structures taught in the past can still be used today; however,
they are adaptable and should be seen as “light scaffolding” (“Why Rhetoric?” 16). The idea is to
“find structures that suit the purpose of the proposed communication” (“Why Rhetoric?” 18).
As writers move into the digital age and migrate from text sources to digital sources
online, the original concepts of rhetoric are still relevant. However, they must be adapted to fit
new digital contexts.
Works Cited
Andrews, Richard. “Rhetoric and Composition.” A Companion to Greek
Rhetoric, edited by Ian Worthington, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2006, pp.
43-56. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/millersville-ebooks/detail.action?docID=284250.
Andrews, Richard. “Why Rhetoric?” A Companion to Greek Rhetoric, edited by Ian Worthington,
John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2006, pp. 16-28. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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Habinek, Thomas. “The Craft of Rhetoric.” Ancient Rhetoric and Oratory. John Wiley &
Sons, Incorporated, 2004. pp. 38-59. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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