In chapter five, Heinrichs states, "an agreeable ethos matches the audience's expectations for a leader's tone, appearance, and manners." To describe this kind of character based agreeability, ancient Romans used the word decorum.
Rhetorical decorum is the art of fitting in everywhere from the office to the neighborhood bar. Decorum can be found everywhere. A college campus may represent decorum. For example, a teenager changing their hair color in order to fit in with a group of people. Decorum follows the audience's rules.
How does ethos and decorum fit into rhetorical writing? Ethos is the character or emotions of a speaker or writer that are expressed in attempt to persuade an audience. Ethos is also known as the tools that turn you into a credible leader. Ethos may be seen when something is being advertised after a professional has recommended it. A small child may portray decorum by using good table manners while eating a meal.
I agree with you that decorum is the act of trying to fit in and to express the idea of "do as I say and as I do". However, I am not sure I agree with your example of dyed hair. More often than not, teenagers who dye their hair stand out rather than blend into the group. I feel like teenagers dye their hair is a way to stand out and to voice their personalities rather than fit in with the mold. When you see a group of teenagers it more likely to only see one or two with dyed hair and those kids standout rather than blend into the group.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of the concepts in this post but also in the comments. I think that more often than not, teens will do something out of the ordinary, whether it be dying their hair, piercings or other changes, to get the attention of society. This also reminds me of how rhetoric works; persuaders and authors try to do something different with their work in hopes to be successful. If every speaker were to talk in the same format or process, the audience would most likely be distracted by boredom. However, if they notice a different technique being used, their attention will be redirected. In addition, companies use this process as well to win over the business of their customers. If they kept the same advertisement or commercial up for a long period of time, buyers are going to be pulled towards other companies who are constantly changing and coming up with new ideas. I think this is exactly how decorum and rhetoric work; despite the same foundation, there are always new ideas being born in order to "fit in" or be successful.
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