This week's reading by Marilyn Cooper focused on agency. Cooper defines agency as something that is necessary to create rhetoric. Throughout her article, she continues to focus on agency as the way we move about the world and create meaning within it. Cooper identifies public figures like former President, Barack Obama, to offer examples of how agency can promote rhetoric. The article continues to use Obama as an example because he is known as an excellent rhetor. Obama has a clear sense of individual agency in his speeches, and this is what creates rhetoric.
However, individual agency is not as straightforward as it seems. Because we have so many outside influences, it is difficult to identify your own agency. I thought this was interesting because it brings up the question of what shapes us as individuals. Experiences we have with rhetoric and just life in general will impact the ways we utilize rhetoric in our lives.
Hi Iris,
ReplyDeleteI was also very intrigued by the concept of individual agency. I think it is something that we all believe we are good at until we take a closer look and sometimes realize that what we thought was our personal agency is actually a mass of outside influences- maybe even things that we do not necessarily agree with when we reflect on it. I have noticed in my own life, over the years, that many of the things I thought I was passionate about were really just things that I had been told I should be. In order to have a truly individual agency, I think we must take time to reflect on what exactly we really believe in once we remove societal expectations and norms. Only by being an agent for changes that we really care about can we really make an impact.
Hello Iris,
ReplyDeleteIndividual agency is important because it can apply real world experiences to how we view life. For example, music can work with this pretty well. I've always been a Kanye West fan and that's pushed me to other artists, even though I've felt like I've made my own decisions when it comes to choosing the artists I like, I realize that they're all inspired and influenced from Kanye West. So, in reality I haven't had that much influence over my music as I have thought. To be an independent individual that thinks for themselves, I believe you must truly see what it is that you believe in and not what others believe in. As long as you're passionate about something that is what you should strive to be better for.
Hi Iris!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. I will always remember president Barrack Obama as an excellent rhetor. His ability to use individual agency to create rhetoric was the best I have seen in my lifetime. He was able to use his own experiences to shape his policy positions and communicate them with his audiences in a way that they could understand through his loved experience.
This use of agency was beneficial in many ways. As a person of color, I believe he was able to communicate certain struggles of minority groups much more effectively than someone that has not loved those experiences. This made his messages and call to action significantly more effective than if someone like President Donald Trump or Joe Biden were to have the same message, in my opinion. Again, great post!