The Importance Of Time To Rhetoric

The Importance Of Time To Rhetoric

Killingsworth and Handa’s argument definitely have strong similarities. Both texts explain the ways in which rhetoric is used today, the analytical and technical skills needed to present it successfully, and the best ways to appeal to the audience at the perfect time.

In "Appeals to Time" from Killingsworth's Appeals in Modern Rhetoric, he explains the ways in which rhetoric exists in society today in comparison to that of the past in order to appeal to the audience in the most ideal way. "The news and advertising industry often use a simple version of the appeal to time, with newness occupying the position of value" (Killingsworth 39). Killingsworth places heavy importance on the kairos and exigence of rhetoric, conveying that they are designed to serve a purpose at a certain time in order to be successful, meaning that authors and rhetoricians alike need to be conscious that their strategies appeal to time in order for it to be presented to the audience at the most ideal moment.

In The Multimediated Rhetoric of the Internet, Handa explains the purpose of remediation on platforms such as the Internet. Handa explains that time, societal culture, and the media function together to form an argument that is especially powerful in terms of affecting the audience. Handa explains that in this day and age, the Internet is very important in terms of portraying an exigence, because its relationship with time is more lucrative than that of many other ways to communicate an idea, such as speeches for example. Handa also writes about the different forms of rhetoric, whether it be conscious or unconscious, spoken or unspoken: "Furthermore, if we ask what might be involved in analyzing a compelling rhetorical performance given digitally, we need to account for a Web site's non-verbal as well as verbal communication and whether or not the total performance foes in fact make an impact on that 'social world in which we live'" (Handa 17).