Moore 1 Turi Moore May 21, 2012 Rhetorical Citizenship Requires Action Words are a powerful tool with

the ability to change entrenched beliefs and move otherwise uninterested parties to act with passion. Men like Aristotle and Cicero were vocal about the importance of rhetoric in a quality education. By the fifth century BCE, all Athenian men had the right to speak in government meetings thus making clear the connection between rhetoric and citizenship (Crowley and Hawhee 8). It is important to understand the definitions of both rhetoric and citizenship and appreciate how these qualities are fully developed within individuals as they grow to become active members of a community. Rhetorical citizenship can be defined as the use of language, images, and symbols to actively engage individuals in creating communities that function encourage their citizens by showing the value they place upon them. The terms rhetoric and citizenship both have one or more definitions and connotations that at times interfere with clear understanding of these terms. First, the word rhetoric has received a negative connotation. James Herrick highlights this when he discusses the negative reputation given to rhetoric by the Greek philosopher, Plato. Herrick states, Rhetoric bashing continues in an almost unbroken tradition from Platos day to the present (2). Rhetoric is often linked with purposeless argument and inaction. This is unfair, yet promoted by the actions of political leaders and those who would misuse the benefit of legal argument. Despite the historically negative reputation that has developed around rhetoric, there is value in considering a fair definition of the term. Some view rhetoric as merely any communication that occurs between people sharing differing views. I disagree with this definition because I think rhetoric is closely linked with action. Rhetoric requires careful forethought so that points are logically developed

Moore 2 and have purpose. I side with Gerald Hauser who differentiates communication from rhetoric by arguing, [rhetoric] is not communication for communications sake; rhetorical communication . . . attempts to coordinate social action (2). This highlights the difference between simple communication and rhetoric. Rhetoric has a purpose in mind before it ever begins, and this purpose is linked to action. The next term that must be considered in the discussion of rhetorical citizenship is citizenship. When people hear this term, they often think about the legal definition, yet this is only one narrow way to define citizenship. Citizenship is a broad term that can encompass membership, whether national or global, as well as behaviors and attitudes. When I was in elementary school, we had a grade for citizenship. Obviously, the measure of how well the students displayed citizenship had nothing to do with national origin, and everything to do with the behaviors in the classroom and the school as a greater community. This indicates that citizenship must be active in some way in order to be observed and graded. Whether citizenship springs from an individuals desire for personal advancement or from a desire to give to the community, the defining point of citizenship has to do with actions that focus on the potential value of those within the community and brings that value to fruition. This could include voting, volunteering to help those in need, recycling, writing for publication, raising children responsibly, cleaning up the streets in a neighborhood, or boycotting a business with unethical practices. The objective is that all people look for ways that they can become involved according to their circumstances (Higher Education 2). Becoming involved indicates action, so citizenship and civic engagement are intrinsically linked because there must be action in order for citizenship to be displayed.

Moore 3 The connection between rhetoric and citizenship has been apparent from the first students of rhetoric. This logically leads to the connection of the terms to create rhetorical citizenship. I have defined rhetoric as purposeful communication that engages speakers and listeners with the purpose of action, and the definition of citizenship as actions that give individuals and communities an opportunity to recognize and utilize the potential value of their members. Therefore, rhetorical citizenship must be defined as communication that encourages participation by engaging community members in actions that bring improvement to the community. With this definition in mind, I have had a sponsor who influenced me to develop rhetorical citizenship in positive ways, but also had a negative influence by strongly discouraging me from acting as a rhetorical citizen. My sponsor of rhetorical citizenship was my religion. I was a Jehovahs Witness for 34 years of my life. There were positive aspects of this religion that taught me to be a model global citizen, but there were other negative aspects that taught me to devalue others and ignore important aspects of local citizenship. On the positive side, every Jehovahs Witness is encouraged to speak to his or her neighbors about God and the Bible, and there is long term training available at each meeting to help members to fulfill this requirement. The training that I received from a very young age, in how to develop an argument and deliver this argument in front of an audience with illustrations and support, has greatly helped me to be a better rhetorical communicator. We were also encouraged to read literature produced by Jehovahs Witnesses which was available on a number of subjects and in endless supply. This made reading a part of my everyday life. In addition, we went into our community from door-todoor and spoke with people of all ages and backgrounds. This trained me to be able to speak confidently with people that I never would have encountered if I had not participated in this activity. Another important aspect of this group is that they believe all of humankind falls under

Moore 4 Gods kingdom and are, therefore, not primarily citizens of any country governed by humans. This gave me a broad perspective on where I belong in the world and fostered a more global view. We often had speakers from other countries that would stay in our homes, and we knew if we were to visit their countries, we would be welcomed like family. These positive aspects of my religion developed within me the ability to use rhetoric to engage people from all walks of life with a purpose of inciting them to action. However numerous the positive aspects of growing up as a Jehovahs Witness had on my development as a rhetorical citizen, there were some serious negative outcomes. As previously mentioned, Jehovahs Witnesses do not believe in allying themselves with any manmade governments. This means that, although I developed a global view of my citizenship, the local view was severely lacking. We were taught that to vote or become involved in local or national politics was to betray our god. Therefore, I have never voted. Only recently have I registered to vote, and am waiting for an election to cast my ballot for the first time. The teaching of my religion discouraged me from staying informed about social and political developments, and, thus, negatively affected my rhetorical citizenship. Another negative aspect of my formative years in this religion was that we were taught the most important work that we could spend our free time in was the preaching work, as this would ultimately put people right with God and preserve their lives through judgment. As a result, we never did community works such as organized drives to feed the hungry or vaccinate children of low income households, or any other community activity that maintains healthy daily life. I feel as though I wasted thousands of hours doing a preaching work as a misguided citizen looking for a way to improve the lives of her fellow humans. Much of my life was shaped by my religion and I learned many valuable lessons about how to be an effective rhetorical citizen, but my religious sponsor left me unprepared to

Moore 5 finish my training, and I had to move on to expand my understanding of what it means to display complete citizenship. Over the past six years, I have had the privilege of involvement with higher education and this has led to a fuller development of my rhetorical citizenship. I have studied abroad, volunteered in student groups, and become aware of areas where I can use my skills learned earlier in my life to continue to grow as a rhetorical citizen, always keeping in mind that a rhetorical citizen is an active citizen. This applies whether I am operating from a global, local, community, or family perspective.

Moore 6 Works Cited Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 4th ed. New York: Pearson, 2009. Print. Hauser, Gerald. Introduction to Rhetorical Theory, 2nd ed. Long Grove, IL: Waveland P, 2002. Print. Herrick, James A. The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2009. Print. Higher Education: Civic Mission & Civic Effects. Stanford, CA: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and CIRCLE, 2006. Web. <http://www.civicyouth.org/ special-report-higher-education-civic-mission-civic-effects/>