Reading Rhetorical Theory

Reviewed by Sharon Waters, Associate Professor, Tidewater Community College on 12/31/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Dr. Hallsby has developed an extensive, interdisciplinary, and global overview of rhetorical theory that I have ever read in academia! The text carefully weaves a tapestry of rhetoric as an art of speech through rhetoric's powerful voice in today's technological space. This text should be required reading for any student of public speaking and/or any introductory coursework in human communication. The text includes audio and/or video recordings with each chapter, with corresponding guidelines for proposed written assignments. Students will gain a thorough understanding of what rhetoric is, its historical practices through the present day, and the significance of the ways wherein rhetoric may be used to support reason, rather than to oppress it.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text presents an accurate overview and understanding of the ways that influence and power move in the society wherein we reside and the role communication plays in creating common knowledge about such powerful influences. Dr. Hallsby presents an exceptional overview of how speech motivates human action and allows the reader to imagine possible futures.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The sphere of rhetoric shall never become obsolete as it's ideals have been recorded since the times of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, through its present-day record used by rhetorical theorists. Hallsby's assertion that science and rhetoric are parallel systems of epistemology, ensures students of rhetorical theory that rhetoric is art and art is as much a way of knowing as science. Thus, the text will always remain relevant, as long as art and science exist.

Clarity rating: 5

Dr. Hallsby's exposition of rhetorical terms and concepts are presented with directness, lucidity, and transparency exposing conceptually why it matters where and when we begin rhetoric's story and why rhetorical criticism will always remain a useful theory of practice. Hallsby's return to ancient Greece to highlight the ways wherein rhetoric signaled an unhealthy state of public and political discourse bears witness to how unjust patterns and practices of those ancient times are still present with us within today's public and political discourse and multifaceted opinions.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent from the first page to the last. It expertly constructs the unbroken thread of truth from rhetoric's past to how we understand it today - a collection of humanist, literary, and political theories that explain how speech galvanizes human action and allows the student to imagine possible futures.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is well-planned with content easily absorbed as the early chapters provide definitions and context for rhetoric as "speech", the middle chapters describe rhetoric as "representation" (signs, symbols, visual images, argumentation, and narrative), and the concluding chapters elaborate on rhetoric as a technology of "power" (on settler colonialism secrecy, and digital rhetoric). Students using this resource will gain a comprehensive understanding of what rhetoric is, how it has been practiced historically and today and the ways wherein rhetoric casts its influence over contemporary public and political life.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization of the text is superb, including audio and/or video recordings with each chapter, as well as guidelines for proposed written assignments. Designed for use across a variety of modalities, including in-person, online (synchronous/asynchronous) and hybridized formats, and additional resources (PowerPoint slides, quiz/exam questions, upon request), ensures an ideal learning-style environment for any student within the higher education framework.

Interface rating: 5

The text is free of any interface issues that may distract or confuse the reader.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are no grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is culturally appropriate and inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Being an African American woman, I was most inspired that Hallsby included rhetorical theorist, Molefi Kete Asante's worldview on "Afrocentricity." Hallsby included Asante's argument that Afrocentricity is essential to understanding rhetoric. I personally identified with this portion of the text, which is rarely witnessed within an academic discourse on rhetoric.

Comments

The text resonated with me ontologically. I highly recommend this text for any professor of communication, rhetoric, or public speaking, which are usually required courses within the academic curriculum. I especially delighted in Dr. Hallsby's social inequalities in Ancient Greece which reverberate the inequalities I experienced as a child in the 50's in my hometown, Montgomery, Alabama. And of course, this is the world that those born in the 21st Century, continue to experience, simply because of differences that exist by nature of birth.
I conclude this review in Dr. Hallsby's own words: "Beyond wealth inequalities in ancient Greece, there is evidence that Athenian culture was not an ideal democracy where all people were equal and 'the people' made decisions in common. This is also why Greece holds a mirror up to our own problems: it shows us how problems with our own rhetorical culture may be tied to entrenched social inequalities." Atilla Hallsby (2022), "The 'Origins' of Rhetorical Theory" in https://the-un-textbook.ghost.io/chapter-2-the-origins-of-rhetorical-theory-2/. Accessed (31 December 2022)