Rhetoric and composition deal with effective language use and persuasion, with composition focusing on writing and rhetoric encompassing other contexts.
Rhetoric originated in ancient Greece as the study of persuasive public speaking and has expanded to include any clear language.
Composition courses teach various types of essay writing, often with a clear purpose.
Rhetoric and composition overlap in the use of rhetorical devices, which enhance persuasiveness through both style and content.
Rhetoric and composition are branches of study that effectively use words and persuasion.
The two terms are occasionally used interchangeably, but there are some differences in the emphasis of the two disciplines.
Composition deals almost exclusively with the written word, while rhetoric also refers to persuasion in other contexts.
Both rhetoric and composition are also considered rhetorical devices, coping with persuasion in speech or writing.
The term “rhetoric” dates back to ancient Greece, which referred to the study or art of oration or persuasive public speaking. Aristotle, considered the father of rhetoric, divided research into what is known as the five canons of rhetoric: invention, arrangement, style, memorization, and delivery.
Rhetoric students in Greece would be taught the most effective ways to persuade their audience by these means.
In modern times, the study of rhetoric has been broadened to refer to any persuasive language, especially in writing. Nonverbal means of persuasion, such as photography or music in advertising to produce a particular response in the audience, can also be considered rhetoric.
However, memorization and delivery are no longer considered part of rhetorical studies.
On the other hand, typesetting is a more modern study that has gained prominence as more of the world’s population has become literate. In composition courses, students generally learn various types of essay writing.
This may include a composition intended to be informative and objective, but most pieces will have a rhetorical or persuasive purpose. Rhetoric could be considered the guiding principle of a compelling essay.
For this reason, rhetoric and design are often studied together, and undergraduate or graduate programs focusing on non-fiction writing will often be labelled rhetoric and composition programs.
Another area where rhetoric and composition overlap is so-called rhetorical devices. These are figures of speech that enhance the persuasiveness of speech or writing.
Rhetorical devices are often thought of as purely stylistic devices, such as repetition or parallelism, but rhetoric also involves content. An experienced writer will evaluate what ideas, examples, etc. include in his composition of him to persuade the intended audience.
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