Executive Summary: Ch 7: Rhetoric and Reality

In chapter 7, Berlin introduces the composition rhetorics that had developed out of the 1940s and 50s to birth the writing styles/models of the 60s and 70s. The two main rhetorics delineated are “Objective Rhetoric” and “Subjective Rhetoric.” The first is comprised of “positivistic theories that locate reality in the reality in the material world” and the second “locates reality within the individual, the lone agent acting apart from the material or social realms” (139). There is, also, a third mentioned ( transactional) that is a product of three schools of rhetoric: classic, cognitive and epistemic.

     Objective theory is heavily steeped in behaviorist psychology; it relied on theorist and psychologist observing how composition is“taught" in order to understand how one also "learns." Some of these theorist believed that “grading” or placing corrections on a paper may not be the best way to teach; they (theorists) believed that grading was only one small peace to an entire sequence of events in which a student is actively learning and comprehending how to write. This model was largely based on what a student considers “rewarding” about the writing process. Understanding what a student considers "rewarding" about writing can be applied to developing a learning model. Other ideas introduced were by virtue of Zoellner's model of teaching composition. Zoellner explains that previous models to teaching composition were “ product oriented rather than process-oriented” (143). Zoellner argues that writing being too thought oriented has lead to problems and it (writing) should shift to more “talk” oriented styles as it is more accessible.

      Subjective rhetoric ,also known as expressionist, focuses on the notion that the writing process is something that is individualistic and each person develops internally. This put more emphasis on the process rather than product. Subjective rhetoric is aligned with the thought that writing is an art that is experienced; they, too, beleive composition can be learned, but not taught.

     Lastly, there is “Transactional Rhetoric” that includes: classical, cognitive and epistemic rhetoric. These all are different, but each does inform the other; they are not all independent, existing as an island. Classical, as Berlin mentions, is concerned with Aristotelian concepts of rhetoric: “interlocutor, audience, reality and language” are the integral parts to this model. This camp also sees persuasion as key in understanding the nature and purpose of writing. Cognitive Rhetoric has a stance that the mind develops thoughts and ideas in a chronological sequence and deciphering that sequence will serve to understand writing; This group also believes the relationship between language and thought is one of the most crucial elements to understanding the composition process. There is, then, Epistemic Rhetoric; this group believes the discovering of “truth” is achieved, highly, by virtue of rhetoric. These are all considered to be transactional and part of a dynamic process of obtaining knowledge and, subsequently, truth.