The most prominent example I thought about while reading through the material is an assignment I had as a high school sophomore to analyze the cinematic techniques used through a movie scene of my choice. The scene I had selected for dissecting was a conversation that took place in the movie, Fight Club. Throughout the duration of the scene, the narrator (the audience) is aggressively berated by his new friend, Tyler Durdin (the rhetor).
Although the assignment at the time was to study cinematic aspects without delving in to the dialogue, I believe the words themselves are far more powerful than the visuals. The camera angles, lighting, etc. are only there to emphasize what is being said. Tyler's words are spoken passionately as he angrily pleads with his audience of one to defy the norm and to combat what the world tells him to be (the message). The narrator is moved by the rhetoric maneuvers used against him, and it is apparent that this is likely because he recently "lost everything." His recent losses leave him in a vulnerable state, open to new dispositions of heart and mind.
The most interesting aspect of the situation is that the rhetorical maneuvers used by the rhetor would not necessarily have been effective if his audience was in a more sane state of mind. In fact, on any earlier day, the narrator would have likely laughed it off as an overly dramatic spiel. (Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe everything leading up to the narrator's emotional state and acceptance to change can be considered a significant part of the context.)
Wow, Jonny.
ReplyDeleteThis is a powerful piece. I loved what you said about the person literally functioning as the "message" (Tyler's words are spoken passionately as he angrily pleads with his audience of one to defy the norm and to combat what the world tells him to be (the message).
In such a way, we can and might look at not only actions but a LACK of actions as a rhetorical statement: choosing NOT to purchase something, NOT to dress in a particular way, etc. communicates a message just as doing something actively. Certainly this isn't a traditional or easily recognizable form of rhetoric, but it's a very intriguing path to follow.