I see communication as an important aspect of being able to express myself and to be able to develop a mutual understanding with others. I realized that throughout my entire lifetime I have always utilized Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos, which are otherwise associated with credibility, argument, and emotion.
In high school, I was president of my school’s chapter of the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council (PAAC). One of the activities I participated in was a Global Vision Summit, in which other PAAC chapters from across the state gathered for a convention. At this convention we underwent a simulation that allowed each of us to be acting mayors, environmentalists, ordinary citizens, and business executives. I played the role of a concerned citizen who did not want windmills blocking my view of the beach out the window of my timeshare on the island of Maui. I recall trying to develop plausible reasoning for my statement. Of course, the “environmentalists” believed that the windmills are necessary in order to help Hawaii advance in the implementation of wind energy.
The acting “mayor of Maui” was the deciding the factor and facilitated the discussion in this simulation. For my argument, I had to have some credibility and as a citizen I was someone who contributed to Hawaii’s tourism. I had to be able to be convincing enough to possibly get rid of the windmills or to be able to have them relocated in order for me to be a satisfied individual. Also as a representative, I was also acting with the emotions of the unhappy tourists of Maui (pathos). In this simulation, I primarily targeted the cons having the windmills up regardless of whether it was better for the environment and for the state’s energy bill. Persuasion was key, regardless of how ridiculous my reasons may be. Without these rhetorical appeals I probably would not have been able to convince the “mayor” to move the windmills for the sake of maintaining the Maui tourism rates.
0 comments:
Leave a Comment