Rhetoric Reflections

When I wake up in the morning and climb out of bed, the first thing I do is turn on my computer. Checking the weather icons on my desktop to see what to wear during the day, I first notice the bright sun indicating clear, blue skies for the day. Satisfied that it will be a sunny day, I almost miss the text printed below saying that it is currently only 25 degrees outside! The bright sun initially caught my eye, but I was soon informed that my beautiful day will also involve below freezing temperatures, at least for my morning classes.

I leave my room and I notice the Clemson 2008 Men's Soccer poster that hangs on my door, covered in tiger paws and orange Clemson logos, appealing to my school spirit to encourage attendance at the games, while informing me of the upcoming matches, starting players, and previous accomplishments of the team. Walking down the hall towards the bathroom, I see that my RA has hung a new poster advertising the upcoming hall event, covered in pictures of campfires and s'mores, trying to persuade the residents of Young Hall to spend time together over some tasty treats.

Entering the bathroom, I notice all of the new fliers and posters advertising the upcoming social events on campus. As if the bright colors and bold fonts of the fliers were not enough to make me notice, these papers cover the entire inside of the bathroom stall, calling out to me to attend the basketball game and cheer on our No.9 ranked team, or forcing percentages and statistics about drug and alcohol abuse to stick in my mind.

Returning to my room, I log on to Facebook, an online social networking site, to check the current statuses of my friends online. While browsing my friends pages, advertisements line the side of the web page, calling to me to "get the lowest price on textbooks" or to "sign up for free and lose 10 pounds fast!" I ignore these advertisements, choosing to log off instead of clicking on these "special deals," however, the advertisements still manage to catch my eye, even for the briefest of moments.

I quickly shut down my computer, barely noticing the tiger paw pasted to the cover of my laptop, and rush out the door to class. The fliers advertising the upcoming events on campus continue to line my path to class, each covered with various lettering styles and colors. I pass across library bridge and I am handed a piece of bright orange paper, telling me to join the artillery club on campus. Finally, I reach my classroom, but not before reading about the available apartments and phone numbers to call on the bulletin board outside of the classroom.

Before I began this task of consciously noticing the rhetoric around me, I did not have any idea how many times a day I am persuaded to attend a function or donate to a cause or join a group simply because of everything I pass in my daily life. By simply realizing what rhetoric is and by consciously focusing on how it persuades my daily life, I have become overwhelmed with the amount of information I pass every day, and I have become so much more aware of the world around me.