Week 2: Rhetoric

Despite the fact that both reading assignments use different engaging techniques - one through the use of a comic and one in the form of an essay - they both successfully engage the reader to understand the topic of rhetoric. After reading both texts I've come to realize the subconscious influence that my surroundings have on what I say and how I say it; which may influence how I act publicly in the future.

One specific part of the reading that stood out to me was "you order your thoughts based upon what is appropriate for your intended audience in that context". Whether I'm talking to my roommates or talking to my parents, my context and tone are different between the two. I've never really thought about this so deeply before, but now that I've had it explained in the two pieces of writing I now have an awareness of what I say and how I say it.
It's hard to decide which piece of writing I was drawn to the most. Since the comic provided the ability to swiftly skim the pages and understand the context through "visual literacy" it was less difficult to get through. However the essay provided an informal and interactive component that most essays lack, but the essay remained tedious to get through and I often felt compelled to skip to the next section.

The comic may have been more beneficial to my understanding of rhetoric mainly because by nature I am a kinesthetic learner - I learn better with visual representation and example - rather than simply reading text. This too has to deal with the fact that the creators of the comic are well aware of the benefit that visual literacy has to many students who can't maintain concentration on formal pieces of writing. Just like I mentioned earlier what "Murder! Rhetorically" states, "you order your thoughts based upon...your intended audience".