When it comes to understanding rhetorical writing, whether digital or on paper, the term “rhetoric” is so vast that it is hard to pinpoint an exact definition that perfectly sums up all the capabilities of rhetoric. However, there are three concepts that can help us understand “the ways of” rhetoric through and how they can be presented in different rhetorical canons. These concepts include rhetorical velocity, kairos, and exigency. These terms can be connected to various rhetorical canons, but the one that I will be connecting to these concepts is the rhetorical canon of style.
Rhetorical Velocity:
Though the name and definition may sound like it is derived from the physics concept, the ideas of rhetorical velocity can help with discussing the capabilities of rhetoric. Rhetorical velocity is centered around the idea of concern for distance, speed, and time through rhetorical writing. It can commonly be depicted as a way to think of delivery as a mode of rhetorical writing with texts working as an element of strategy to convey supporting information.
Exigency:
Exigency simply refers to the reason a person writes. Exigency can imply a basic idea or flaw in the world that a writer feels the need to write in order to share their opinion. There are several ways exigency can be interpreted and compared to rhetorical canons. When working with exigency, a writer should carefully consider the entire situation to determine what type of audience they want to reach, what they want the outcome to be, and the best medium to use to share their message. A writer should also know the big picture of their idea so they can create an adequate argument and make it heard.
Kairos:
Kairos, often interpreted as “lucky timing,” is a principle that rhetors do not really have complete control over their writing and audiences. This is because there are factors beyond a writer’s control that can interfere with their ability to change their writing into something that makes sense. Kairos serves as a reminder that numerous characteristics of rhetorical ecology that we respond to are beyond our control in rhetorical writing.
Connections to Style:
In terms of these rhetorical canons having a connection with style, exigency perfectly correlates with some ideas of style. As a writer develops their ideas they should consider how they want to convey their message, from determining what medium to how they want to convey their message. Writers have to think of the best method to convey their main argument so they can get their point across. In contrast, rhetorical velocity and kairos do not share a common connection with style, because they serve as limits to the effectiveness a writer can convey their message. Rhetorical velocity mostly focuses on elements of delivery and kairos centers around the idea that writers do not have complete control over their writing and audience. This can impact a writer’s effectiveness to convey an argument because if a writer concerns themselves with speed of a message being interpreted or the fact that a writer might not have complete control over their argument, then they will not be able to convey their message appropriately.
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