Alina Hadzovic 

10/30/2022

Unit Two Reflection 

This unit, we focused on the applications of rhetorical devices and how they apply to modern real world situations. By choosing a movement on our own accord, I was certainly more interested in the research aspect of the final essay, considering it was something I was interested in. While I understood the whole “new” vs “old” rhetoric, I really was surprised to find the plethora of connections between the two. After analyzing the rhetorical strategies used in the Schools Strike for Climate movement, it was clear that Cicero’s five canons of rhetoric applied in the posters used in the strike, a connection I hadn’t made prior. I wonder how things like the use of Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle (audience, speaker, message) have changed over time- has a speaker’s credibility changed over time? We have learned in class that rhetorical strategies only applied to “a good man,” and I wonder to what extent that still pertains. If two people were saying the same thing but one appeared to be more sophisticated, would society be more inclined to be persuaded? This unit allowed me to push the boundaries of the strength of rhetoric, and how powerful it can really be. While I complete every textbook assignment about rhetoric, these actual real world examples only underlined the true rigor of rhetoric. 

I wish there was  more time between the end of this unit and the previous one because I think a day or two going over the rhetorical devices we learned about in our readings for homework would have made it stick better and thus lead to a stronger final essay. It was hard for me to think back into what we’d read in the book since it was constantly fogged over with other assignments; of course, I could have easily looked through the book on my own (I did), but I think the entire class would have benefited from a day of review. Regardless, the Writing into the Day assignments were very helpful in practicing how to analyze rhetoric and what it means to use “effective rhetoric.” While this essay frankly isn’t my strongest, I am not embarrassed or ashamed of the quality of work. I would have loved to continue my research and continue my understanding of the movement itself and the effects of the protests, along with the effects of persuasion based on rhetorical devices. 

Alina Hadzovic

Professor Wood 

Freshman Composition

25 October 2022

Rhetorical Analysis of Schools Strike for Climate

After the industrial age, the use of fossil fuels increased as a source of energy to power machines and other processes. After time, the greenhouse gasses emitted from the burning created a blanket of gas around the atmosphere that forced the global climate to warm and change. Despite the ever present need for social change, decades have passed without any global decision to do so. The social movement “Schools Strike for Climate” exists because older generations do not care about climate change, and nonconsensually leave the planet in its shambles for the younger generation. Typical goals for the students involved in this movement are to educate the public of the severity of global warming and underline the unwillingness of society to make a systematic change in the way we make our lives more efficient. To convey these messages, people in this movement use rhetorical strategies like group/physical rhetoric and use Cicero’s canons of rhetoric on visual aids that drill their ideas into the minds of their audience. It is time for a difference, and the messages highlighted in this social movement definitely recognize this. 

As society changed, rhetorical strategies and their effectiveness have changed, as well. Interestingly enough, these changes are (objectively) categorized by either old rhetoric or new rhetoric. Old rhetoric was described “as the art of persuasion” by ancient philosopher Aristotle, arguably one of the main backbones of old rhetoric (Wollacott). This idea of persuasion was mainly through speeches given in a courtroom about policies good men would like to pass in their society. Aristotle also developed the rhetorical triangle, which bound rhetorical devices with the speaker, audience, and objective of the speech (Lutzke and Henggeler). This connection can be seen today, just in different forms. As issues, policies, and norms were trying to be legislated in more contemporary contexts, more creative means of persuasion were practiced. Rather than a single person standing in front of a group of men in a chancery, people of all ages and of all gender identities are bound together by their cause and persuade their audience with their presence. This assembly of people that find solitude in each other’s company in this situation is called group or gregarious rhetoric. In these group protests, demonstrators adopt old rhetoric and creatively use them in modern contexts. We see posters in the “Schools Strike for Climate” protests with memorable phrases and delivered in a unique and individual style. This originated through Cicero’s canons of rhetoric, formulated in —. Cicero wrote his five canons of rhetoric in around 50 BC, sharing the importance of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery in a persuasive setting (Pudewa). Really, these principles are still found today, just in a more extant application. The effectiveness of new rhetoric would not be nearly as such without such a strong rhetorical foundation. 

The “Schools Strike for Climate” movement truly began after 15 year old Greta Thunberg protested in front of the Swedish parliament in 2018 with a poster saying “schools strike for climate.” Just the next year, she inspired over a million students around the world to stand up for what they believe in. This idea of political leaders needing to enact principles in order to prevent further global warming was extremely common in the visual aids within the protests. Posters in hand, students in countries like the Philippeans, United States, and Germany walked in front of their government buildings to announce their negative opinions on the federal regulations in regards to climate (Crouch). Even today, four years after the initial objection, groups of young people still gather today as a way to convey the core values of the movement with safety and strength in numbers. 

Nowadays, persuasion in protests are seen in large numbers, chanting and holding signs. Group rhetoric is effective because it shows the commitment of such a huge group of people with unified goals. This is a really successful decision as a rhetorical device in the conditions of “Schools Strike for Climate” because it is a joint avenue towards policy change and influence, one professionalized to make politics more reflective of societies’ wants, needs and demands. The audience in this situation is clearly representatives in the federal position to apply the progressive wants of the public to civil situations. Rather than a single student stepping out of an academic setting, the scale being so large listens to everyone’s concerns and connects activists around the world. It allocates accessibility for people around the world who’s concerns deserve to be heard but cannot physically participate. 

While I have never had the opportunity to participate in the protests physically, I spent time creating posters for my friends that they used in their moments of dissent. Including short phrases like “our future is in our hands” was a really powerful decision because not only does it use purposeful diction, it also is memorable. The repetition of the word “our” drills the idea of integrating each individual with their surroundings and the effects of corporations on climate change; we are all only one population, and this is “our” planet, so it makes sense to work together and solve issues regarding it. Having such a short and purposeful phrase also highlights one of Cicero’s canons of delivery, since the phrase is short and sweet and commonly yelled in a call and response form. In that scenario, it is resolute because there is a synthesis of all these different people standing alongside each other finishing each other’s sentences. 

There is no way to imagine what the world would be like if we didn’t unify as one and take climate change as seriously as it deserves to be taken. Frankly, I cannot help but feel drawn towards the dynamic values of this movement. I find myself just as, if not more, passionate about climate justice than those around me, and I feel proud of my generation for taking the mental and physical time to speak up for us and our future. If no one will support the “Schools Strike for Climate” cause, I know Aristotle and Cicero would be amazed at the applications of their ancient rhetorical devices in conditions like these.

Works Cited 

Wollacott , Mark. “What Is Ancient Rhetoric?” Language Humanities, 9 Oct. 2022, 

www.languagehumanities.org/what-is-ancient-rhetoric.htm#:~:text=Ancient%20rhetoric%20is%20described%20by,expressed%20almost%20exclusively%20in%20speeches.

Crouch, David. “The Swedish 15-Year-Old Who’s Cutting Class to Fight the Climate 

Crisis.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Sept. 2018, www.theguardian.com/science/2018/sep/01/swedish-15-year-old-cutting-class-to-fight-the-climate-crisis. 

Lutzke, Jaclyn, and Mary Henggeler. “The Rhetorical Triangle: Understanding and Using 

Logos, Ethos, and Pathos .” Indiana University School of Liberal Arts, Nov. 2009, www.lsu.edu/hss/english/files/university_writing_files/item35402.pdf. 

Pudewa, Andrew. “The 5 Canons of Rhetoric.” Memoria Press – Classical Christian Education, 

28 Sept. 2022, www.memoriapress.com/articles/5-canons-of-rhetoric/.