““Kairos refers to a struggle, at the point of rhetorical intervention, between situational factors”” Other scholars – Sheridan, Michel, and Ridolfo – say that: ““The appropriateness of the discourse to the particular circumstances of the time, place, speaker, and audience involved"” Smart cookie James Kinneavy is largely credited with reintroducing the importance of kairos into the discipline of Rhetoric and Composition – and, therefore, composition studies. Nowadays, in modern rhetoric, the definition of kairos is making exactly the right statement at exactly the right moment. But the importance of kairos in writing and new media has been a big source of debate over the last few decades. Kairos has been hot topic in various disciplines for a long time. Aristotle ties kairos to these concepts, claiming that there are times in each rhetorical situation when you need to use one device over another. One of the most well-known parts of Aristotle's Rhetoric is when he discusses the roles of pathos, ethos, and logos. Aristotle believed that each rhetorical situation was different, so you needed to apply different rhetorical devices at different times. While Aristotle and his pals didn't dig the Sophistic approach, they did discuss the importance of kairos in their teachings. They saw Sophistic rhetoric as a tool used to manipulate others and criticized those who taught it. In the blue corner, you have the opposition, led by people like Aristotle and Plato. “"Rhetoric is the art which seeks to capture in opportune moments that which is appropriate and attempts to suggest that which is possible"” Aristotle, Plato, and co. John Poulakos defines rhetoric from a Sophistic perspective like this: Sophism approached rhetoric as an art form, and members of the school would travel around Greece teaching citizens about the art of rhetoric and successful discourse. They thought it was crucial for rhetors (people who teach rhetoric) to adapt to, and take advantage of, changing circumstances. In the red corner, you have the Sophists. Waaay back in olden times, specifically Ancient Greece, both of the two main schools of thought used kairos in the field of rhetoric. “"Kairos is a passing instant when an opening appears which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved." – E. Chronos represents a kind of 'quantitative' time, as in, “What time is it?” or “Will we have enough time?”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |