I am having some difficulty responding to what I thought to be a very dry read. Williams is vastly different than Elbow in his writing style and I feel as though I have to switch gears in order to respond. William’s feels as though a person must be well versed in the history of rhetoric in order to become a good teacher. I agree that the school system is failing. Too much emphasis is being placed on the teacher to churn out good test scores. This comes at the expense of the children’s natural creativity. Certainly order is needed in order to satisfy the curriculum but I feel as though the gaps that it creates need to be addressed. Many schools are ill equipped to address the students that fall behind the rest of the class.
On another note, I find it interesting that the Sophists were ridiculed for their ability to argue for the worst side and win. It is financially rewarding to have these abilities and to use them in this society. Defense attorneys are able to argue successfully despite hard evidence given by the prosicutor in many more instances than the Simpson case cited by Williams. Marketing and advertising industries are billion dollar enterprises skilled at the art of deceiving by using clever marketing schemes and eye candy. Sex sells. As well as placing dogs in commercials, cute babies, and so forth. Rhetoric is alive and well. Great communication skills are sought after by students, recruiters, and teachers.
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