Purpose
We have been extending our understanding of Aristotle’s Rhetoric. Having been familiar with his appeals to credibility, logic, and morality, most individuals forget that Aristotle also believed in the strength and power of storytelling. Thus, we know that stories have a social utility that spans many purposes. In this assignment students will have to locate a story within the public sphere and scrutinize its purpose.
Prompt
Become aware of how stories are used in the public sphere by paying attention to your surroundings. Choose an instance in which a story is being told. For example, you might be sitting at home watching TV when a commercial comes on, you notice that it’s telling a story about a lost horse that found his way home. Or you might be sitting at home and you hear your parent telling your sibling a story from when they were young. Or, you might be sitting at home watching a movie and notice that one of the characters is telling a story. The key here is to observe and analyze.
Once you’ve chosen your story, please answer the following questions:What is the story being told? You can summarize here.
In what context was this story told?
What was the purpose of the story?
Who was telling the story?
How were they telling the story?
Format
Please answer the question fully in paragraph form. There is no required word count for this assignment. I am looking at how well you answer the prompt. I do not want bullet points. Construct your response in standard essay format. Heading and title do not count towards word count and are not necessary-I know who is submitting thanks to Canvas.
