Nick Sturtevant

ENC 3331
Rhetorical Citizenship Final Paper
Rhetorical Citizenship

Before I am able to define rhetorical citizenship as a single term,

it is important to have an understanding of what both terms mean
independently. Rhetoric has been defined in many different ways; one
definition is the use of symbolic action by human beings to share
ideasto make decisions about matters of common concern and to
construct social reality (Palczewski et al. 2012). In other words,
rhetoric is the means by which people are prompted to come to a
conclusion and take action upon it.
According to Aristotle, in his work On Rhetoric, rhetoric is an
ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of
persuasion. He viewed rhetoric as the analysis of situations and using
the correct methods of persuasion that would have the most beneficial
outcomes. In order for rhetoric to be successfully used, Aristotle
asserted that one must be aware of the different appeals that can be
utilized in the attempt to persuade an audience: logos, ethos, and
pathos. Logos relies on the argument itself, ethos on the established
character of the speaker, and pathos on that which leads the audience
to feel emotion. The use of these artistic proofs work to fulfill the duty

of creating meaning through rhetoric, and help humans both

understand and react to the world around them (Palczewski et al.
2012).
Citizenship can in one sense be defined as simply belonging
legally to a particular country and possessing certain privileges and
responsibilities that are to be acted upon. Examples of such
responsibilities include voting and engaging in public discourse. English
professor Amy Wan describes citizenship in a rhetorical sense by
referencing those who participate; are engaged; who can critique
society; and who are productive, satisfied members of the nation using
advanced literacy skills as a means to achieve civic acts (Wan, 2011).
Being a citizen goes beyond just belonging to a particular
populationit means to be involved in what is going on around you
and working with others to make the decisions that will benefit
everyone. With an understanding of what these terms mean
respectively, one can see how rhetoric can be a driving force behind a
communitys ability to come together and make decisions that will
have positive influences. While I am sure many agree that participatory
citizenship relies heavily on the use of rhetoric, I would also argue that
rhetoric relies just as much on citizenship. In order for an individual or
group to effectively persuade their target audience, they must show
that they are passionate enough about something they are involved in
to want to evoke actions to be taken. I believe that a true citizen of

something is someone who possesses this passion and desire to spark

change, and their use of rhetoric is what will allow them to do it.
I have realized that being a citizen goes far beyond just
belonging to a certain place or having the ability to take actions. If you
have the power to help make decisions that can positively affect your
own life and the lives of those around you, why would you chose to not
act upon it? I have always been told that it is a great privilege to be
able to vote for our president, because other nations do not share our
democratic system and the people dont have a say in who governs
them. It is extremely important to know just how much influential
power you have and how it can be used. As a student at the University
of Central Florida, I am learning more and more every day so that I
may serve as an educated member of society and help make the
informed decisions that will shape my future. Not only do I have the
opportunity to learn more about how I can influence those around me,
but I am also provided with many means by which I can spread my
influence such as student groups and clubs that engage with the
students and visitors around campus.
One major way in which people today, including myself, engage
with the larger community is through social media. With these
networks, communication has become more prominent than ever
before. People from all around the globe are able to interact with each
other and share their thoughts, beliefs, and opinions. Although I am not

an avid user of any of the many outlets there are, I do what I can to
keep myself informed about what is being said and done through this
medium because of its widespread outreach capabilities. I usually do
not engage when it comes to debates through social mediafor
instance Twittermainly because there are often people who express
their opinions based solely on what they believe, with little credibility
to reinforce their arguments. Although they may possess the ability to
use rhetoric effectively through logos (their argument) and pathos
(emotional appeals), a persons character speaks volumes about what
they are advocating and their motives behind it. That being said, they
are doing their part as citizens in expressing their concerns with the
goal of evoking a reaction in order to have people come to some sort of
realization. Knowing what I know now about rhetoric and how it can be
used effectively, I am making it a personal goal to participate more in
the communities with which I associate myself and not be afraid to
speak my mind.
While working on a class project involving campus safety around
UCF, I learned that although my fellow students are told at one point or
another about the safety services provided, they may not always
remember what they can do to stay safe or the resources that are
established to ensure their safety. I also learned that there are some
things that can be done on the universitys part to increase the level of
safety provided to those around campus. To achieve this, the class

formed two groups: surveyors and mapmakers. I was part of the latter,
and our job was to create maps that showed the locations of the
campus security beacons, as well as a map of where certain crimes
have occurred in relation to these beacons.
A Michigan State University publication on the rhetorical usage of
maps claimed the importance of understanding that by mapping
objects one is making rhetorical choices encapsulates the power of the
maps writer to socially construct a viewpoint (Diehl et al. 2008). What
this means is that those who construct a map are able to control what
they want an audience to take away from it. In creating our maps for
the project, our goal was to emphasize the areas on campus that lack
sufficient access to a beacon and how that coincides with crimes being
committed. We wanted to display an issue to our audience, and the
map was our way of having them see the information we had gathered.
Although my group did not have much personal contact with the
students and other campus inhabitants as the survey takers of the
project did, it was a useful experience in practicing engagement with
our community in order to help them. If more people were willing to
participate and work together with their communities and find ways to
bring awareness and action to subjects of interest, the country and
possibly even the world could become a much better place.

Works Cited
Aristotle. On Rhetoric. Translated by George A. Kennedy. New York.
Oxford University Press, 1991.
Diehl, A., Grabill, J. T., & Hart-Davidson, W. (2008). Grassroots:
Supporting the Knowledge Work of Everday Life. Technical
Communication Quarterly, 413-434.

Palczewski, Catherine H., Ice, Richard, & Fritch, John (2012). Rhetoric as
Symbolic Action. In Rhetoric in Civic Life (pp. 3-31). State College, PA:
Strata Publishing
Wan, A. (2011). In the Name of Citizenship: The Writing Classroom and
the Promise of Citizenship. College English, 74(1), 28-49