Behind a Mask

Okay, so things are getting a bit confusing. So far all of the tools Heinrich has given us have been crystal clear until I started reading chapter nine. According to Aristotle there are three tools one has to follow: the reluctant conclusion, the personal sacrifice, and dubitation. Understanding them is pretty easy, putting them into work it´s not. After finishing this chapter I realized that you have to be a good liar in order to obtain your “perfect audience.” Not only a good liar, but also a good actress: you can´t let your audience know you are tricking them. He states, “…The single best word for Aristotle´s selfless goodwill is disinterest, the appearance of having only the best interest of your audience at hear…” (78).  This might not seem so ethical, but it´s the only way to convince your audience to follow you.

A great example is the campaigns for the presidency. They all say things that the audience wants to hear just so that they can count on their votes.

By reading this chapter my mind travelled right back to my first AP Language and Composition class. We realized that everything is a lie! At first I wasn’t very convince of that statement, but as reading Thanks for Arguing I realized that we are all lying constantly.  Maybe not literally telling a lie, like saying your going to a party with your friends when you are actually going to your boyfriend´s house, but by manipulating your audience. You have to pretend to be interested in your audience values to gain their trust. As I mentioned on my other blog we all wear a mask that prevents us from showing who we really are. Not only are we lying to our audience but to ourselves. It might no be so ethical, but it’s how rhetoric works and the only way to succeed in it.