Welcome to my e-portfolio!

My name is Claire Greensmith and welcome to my e-portfolio. I am currently an undergraduate student at the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University studying International Politics and French.

A student at Penn State, I have learned a great deal, both inside and outside of the classroom, including how to speak French proficiently, be assertive and eat on a budget. One of the most important skills I have come to learn is rhetoric, the ability to effectively speak to an audience.

 Rhetoric is everywhere. Between music, advertisements, clothing and conversations, arguments are constantly being made to convince an audience. But just because an argument is being made does not necessarily mean that it is successful.

As an observer of the world around me, I have come to notice the successes and failures of rhetoric. In a world swirling with so many arguments, it is essential to find the right recipe of ethos, pathos and logos to effectively convey a message to an audience. Without ethos there is no credibility or reason for the audience to believe the message. The absence of pathos leaves the argument flat and the audience uninterested. Furthermore, one cannot expect the audience to grasp the argument if they cannot follow the argument’s logic in the absence of logos. These three are essential ingredients to the successful use of rhetoric.

It is my goal to become a master of rhetoric, to be able to conjure up an effective argument and leave my audience convinced. In an attempt to do this I have learned about other useful rhetorical tools; a pinch of kairos, or the most effective and opportune moment for rhetoric, and a dash of exigence, or call to action, entice the audience to pay attention and act upon what I am saying.

Like others, my use of rhetoric will not always work. There will continue to be times where the audience will not understand my logic or question my credibility. As a result, my argument will fall flat on its face. But just as it is important for the rhetor to produce a sound argument, so it is that each audience member examines it. It is my opinion that a perceptive audience helps produce a better rhetor.

With this in mind, as I continue to observe the rhetoric around me I hope to improve my own rhetorical skills. Here, in my e-portfolio, I have posted some of my uses of rhetoric. I hope that  you may find them effective. 

Link to Claire Greensmith's e-portfolio

Free Hugs

Yesterday I was leaving class when I spotted a man standing outside of the Thomas Building  holding a sign that said “Free Hugs”.

This man had chosen a good spot; in between classes, thousands of students walk by this area of campus. His sign was simple enough to read. The words were short and the font was large and bold. There he stood, arms up in the air with a sign calling upon others to give or receive hugs (exigence!). I did not stop to give this man a hug, here’s why:

1.     His failure to consider his audience’s background: I was raised with the phrase “don’t talk to strangers.” One was not to get too close to strange people, not to mention hug them. Assuming others were brought up like me, it is likely that his message is doomed to be ignored because it does not coincide with his audience’s background. The audience, like me, will not respond to the exigence and leave him with empty arms.

2.     Lack of ethos: Who is this man? Why is he offering free hugs? Why should I give him a hug? Is he an exceptional hugger? 

      Perhaps he is conducting a sociology experiment, in which case he can count out any hug from me – I’m not a lab rat and my hugs are worth more than experimental results. Or perhaps he is just a good-natured man wanting to make others’ days better with free hugs. But how would I know? The man neither identifies himself nor his objective, leaving his audience confused as to his ethos. As a result, I was unresponsive to his call for free hugs. A little ethos could have gone a long way.

3.     Lack of pathos: ‘Free’ and ‘hugs’ – I think that these two words are great and together they sound like a nice concept (though I’ve never heard of anyone charging money for hugs). My trouble with the concept is the man giving the hugs. I’ve never seen him before and, absent of personal connection, hence felt no desire to hug him.

      There are other things I’d much rather hug than this man: my pillow, my mom, my dog etc. By hugging these I’d get comfort and love unlike from this stranger where I’d feel clueless and uncomfortable among the passersby. His hugs mean nothing to me. Perhaps if he had explained that it would make him feel better, his offer of a free hug would have tugged at my emotions and prompted me to actually hug him, but such was not the case. 

Although I did not embrace this man, perhaps other students, stressed about exams, breakups and life, might have been desperate enough to get some comfort from the stranger’s hugs. But in my opinion, this man failed rhetorically.