1 Nena Brown ENC 3331: Rhetoric and Civic Engagement Dr.

Blake Scott Rhetorical Engagements of a Modern Citizen

RHETORIC, CITIZENSHIP, AND THE RHETORICAL CITIZEN

Rhetoric is an art, a craft, a skill, has a rich history, and is fundamentally part of human life on a day to day basis regardless of our awareness around it. Herrick defines rhetoric as the systematic study and intentional practice of effective symbolic expression, clarifying rhetoric as the technical, conscious art of communication through symbols whether that be in speaking, writing, dance, music or various other forms of art, relationships, and science (7). While people commonly think of rhetoric as the sophisticated but false jargon of politicians employed in such a way as to manipulate audiences, this definition, which usually carries a negative connotation, distorts the original concept. At its core, rhetoric is a means of sharing information and exchanging ideas with the intention and purpose of synthesizing this material to arrive at sound conclusions and courses of action. Crowley and Hawhee point out that ancient rhetoricians used this art to make decisions [and] resolve disputes, implying a community-building function of nonviolently working through disagreements and coming to consensus (1). Rhetoric involves skillfully inventing and constructing the communication process. One must think critically and engage acute awareness to sense issues of importance the content of rhetorical expression. An issue may be a political, social, circumstantial, emotional, or educational point of contention in the community. The rhetorician seeks to answer the question of who has the power of voice to disseminate the message when, where, and to whom. The values and common language of the audience must be considered in order to ensure effective

2 presentation of the information. Conscientious communication shows respect not only for the personal and social context of the audience but also deep reverence for the message itself. A willingness to carefully and repeatedly reshape the packaging of a message shows true dedication to the message itself and to the need of sharing it. The purpose of communication is to deliver a message, to transmit thoughts and ideas among people; rhetoric is simply the art of how to do that well. Citizenship is a state of belonging to a group. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (M-W) extends the definition of citizenship to include the quality of an individuals response to membership in a community. A community is a unified body of individuals; a fellowship or friendly companionship (M-W). Communities can be social, political, sexual, psychological, technical, cultural, academic, legal, or philosophical in nature and structure. Members are unified and connected by inherent and or chosen similarities. Professor Chandra Talpade Mohanty creates a modern definition of genealogy which includes the chosen place a person comes from: [H]ome, community, and identity all fit somewhere between the histories and experiences we inherit and the political choices we make through alliances, solidarities, and friendships (88). Sometimes people are born into communities, like a country or a culture, and sometimes they choose membership in communities through acts such as attending a certain college or socially taking up a hobby. The term civil refers to the members of a civilized society. Civil specifically describes the qualitative aspect of citizenship: polite, friendly, sociable, peaceful. Thus a citizen is a peaceable comrade allied with a certain group. Politically speaking, citizenship implies certain rights and responsibilities due to a relationship with a governing body. Communities may have different types of governing or administrative forces such as councils, specific documents, or simply the general principles that

3 tie the community together. In any case, some form of agreement binds a member to his or her community. As American citizens, our basic rights and responsibilities are outlined in the Declaration of Independence (DOI). The document advocates not only our inherent rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it delineates the distinct relationship between citizens and government: [T]o secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed (Jefferson). The government exists in order to protect the rights of the United States citizens and gets its authoritative power from the people. The DOI also states that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government (Jefferson). American citizens are required to actively monitor the proper functioning of the American government. With increasing globalization of our economy, our technology, and our perception, we consider our citizenship also within the larger context of the world. World citizenship bridges the citizen and human aspects of a person so that, as Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati suggests, the individual recognizes the entire world as ones state (qtd. in World Citizenship Defined). Allegiance to the world community implies stewardship of the earth and respectable union with the entire human species. Transnational organizations and movements seek to transcend national boundaries, creating real international connections and broader communities among people (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey G-7). While I am an American citizen and a Florida citizen, I also maintain citizenship of more specialized communities including my family, my place of work, and the Orlando yoga community. I am part of larger communities such as the female gender and the human race inhabiting earth, along with the world of yoga as a teacher, student, and embodiment of yoga philosophy and practice. Finally, on a deeper but crucial micro level is

4 the internal community: my psyche, body, and spirit their structure and content, make up the parts and pieces of my internal world which, all being unified by my existence, constitute the community that is me. Rhetorical citizenship indicates forthcoming, participatory membership in ones group. Communication and community the key elements of rhetoric and citizenship, respectively have the same root: commune meaning to share (M-W). Rhetorical citizenship is the marriage of two facets of sharing among people. Rhetoric brings the conscientious, artistic act of communication into fellowship of all forms. Rhetorical citizenship means creatively, intelligently communicating pertinent, timely information within and for the moral, political, social, cultural, and or intellectual upholding of a community, whether that be a one to one companionship, an organization, a nation, the earth, or the internal world of a person. Rhetorical citizens are actively and respectfully engaged in human and worldly affairs relevant to all the communities they are part of.

VALENCIA DANCE: THE WORLD OF CLASSICAL BALLET AND PROFESSIONAL DANCE

For nearly three years I have engaged the incredible opportunity to study, train and dance at Valencia College. The Valencia dance faculty dance professionally, study, teach and choreograph all over the nation. Valencia offers the unique, treasured opportunity for non-dance majors to learn and dance side by side with advanced dancers pursuing Associate in the Arts degrees in dance performance. Citizenship signifies certain rights and responsibilities. In the community that is Valencia Dance, I have the right to dance with advanced dancers, and the liberty and duty of matching their performance in passion and skill. This pushes me to be a better dancer, encourages, inspires, and humbles me. Dancers at Valencia College are made patrons of dance not only through the individual study of dance, but also through required attendance at

5 Valencia Dance concerts. Attending these performances fosters admiration and appreciation for fellow dancers, pride in Valencia College and Valencia Dance, further inspires me artistically, and nurtures genuine fondness for dance as a performing art. Adhering to the etiquette of classical ballet and the professional dance world, I acquire the customs of this community and become a civil part of it. Students are shaped to treat teachers, other dancers, and accompanists with courtesy and respect. For instance we clap for one another after demonstrations or compliments from the teacher and also for the whole class at the end of it. Following classic standards of dress and behavior, we operate as a fellowship of dance students. When one person is given a correction, each person listens and applies it to themselves as well. As these customs become part of my own dance ethic, I positively represent Valencia Dance in the community and quickly, effectively adapt to other dance settings such as classes at other studios. I also find myself exercising active civility towards teachers and fellow students in any type of class I take. Through studying choreography, we learn the rhetoric of dance. After the performance of a piece of original choreography, the choreographer, teacher, and other students engage in a constructive critique of the work. Together we explore if and how the intended message came across and how the piece fits into the larger context of dance. Many aspects are explored such as audience appropriateness, conveyance of emotion, fluidity, and technical execution. The dance performance is the delivery of a message, and while the performance is thoughtful and intentional in action, it is also lucid and malleable in form. The process of creating, performing, and actively critiquing choreography is a rich example of rhetorical expression within a given community. These experiences inspire me to engage creative, collaborative communication in all my relationships and studies.

6 Dancing at Valencia has taught me to be openly and continuously passionate, disciplined, dedicated, and actively engaged in the learning process. If I do not understand something I am required to seek answers, advice, and suggestions and then to diligently practice what I learn while maintaining patience with myself. It takes time for the body to assimilate dance technique and steps. We all make mistakes while we are learning and we constantly work through these challenges and grow from them. We perform with complete confidence and grace, whether or not we are one hundred percent correct. I must continuously represent myself, working hard and performing my heart out. Dr. Suzanne, my ballet and modern dance teacher, calls this using your backbone. It is this passionate activism and integrity that inspires me to be a more whole person and to engage wholly all my pursuits.

CULTURAL EXPANSION, POLITICAL INQUIRY, ACTIVISM: UCF WOMENS STUDIES

As an Interdisciplinary Studies major, I am working on a minor in Womens Studies. My current classes are Introduction to Womens Studies and Research in Women in Gender. In these classes we investigate issues that are commonly outside our awareness. For instance, I have rarely thought about privilege in relation to rights. My professor, Meredith Tweed, asked us recently to think about women in violent intimate relationships with other women and if these women get their needs met in battered womens shelters. Now when I think about the rights or needs of a community, I ask who has access to those rights and whose needs are met. My sense of who makes up the community abruptly expands. Who has the power of voice to speak their needs and concerns? These are major questions of rhetorical importance. Both of my Womens Studies courses this semester are UCF Service Learning courses. Service Learning requires students to take what they learn in academia and apply it outside the classroom through community service projects. The union of activism and scholarship reflects

7 the foundation of Womens Studies. Serving my community directly affects my sense of community and fellowship while allowing me to explore new forms of civic engagement. In addition to Service Learning projects, each Womens Studies course requires attendance at two campus engagement activities each semester. These activities allow the student to interact with the intellectual and cultural community at UCF (Tweed). Professor Tweed pushes our buttons every day to make us think, feel, speak, and write about difficult issues in our world. Rhetorical citizenship involves communicating about issues of importance within the community, and I definitely feel I am being trained to do just that. As my awareness broadens to discover who makes up the community and who has power, privilege, and voice, I embrace groups that I may not regularly interact with as members of my community. I am encouraged not only to speak, listen, and write effectively about pertinent topics, I am inspired and required to do something about it! This combination of cultural examination, rhetorical communication, and activism makes UCF Womens Studies program a prime educational sponsor.

8 Works Cited Crowley, Sharon and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics: Their Differences and the Differences They Make. N.d. PDF file. Herrick, James A. An Overview of Rhetoric. N.d. PDF file. Jefferson, Thomas and the Continental Congress. The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. Independence Hall Association, July 4, 1995. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Womens Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print. Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. "Genealogies of Community, Home, and Nation." Gwyn and Okazawa-Rey 81-88. Tweed, Meredith. Introduction to Womens Studies: A Multicultural Exploration of Womens Lives Syllabus Fall 2011. Womens Studies, College of Arts and Humanities at University of Central Florida, 2011. Print. World Citizenship Defined. World Government of World Citizens. World Service Authority, 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.