November 1 Reading Assignment: Enlightenment Rhetoric, John Locke, Mary Astell

This portion of the reading was interesting, in that during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, rhetoric and language was building off of the key important practices of the Renaissance to strengthen and build a stronger, coherent sense of language within society. During this time period, huge revolutions in science, philosophy, and politics were being spread, and the importance of discovering true knowledge and truth was paramount to a successful human nature. This is significant, because as language was evolving, it greatly affected the evolution and use of rhetoric, as well.

In The Rhetorical Tradition, Bizzell stresses that there was a huge shift in the conception of logic, which was and is a huge part of rhetoric in its entirety. She stresses that although ancient rhetoricians stressed the sole importance of delivery and style to alter the ethos of the writer, science and physical knowledge became the foundation for establishing ethos. During this time period, the Ciceronian conception of rhetoric became the foundation for language.

During the Enlightenment period, history, poetry, and literary criticism were important fields of study, which sparked the Elocution Movement, which focused on a different sort of delivery, teaching the importance of things such as grammar and syntactical correctness. The sections about Francis Bacon are interesting, in that they discuss his use of science and push for advanced learning changed the human intellect during this time period, emphasizing memory, imagination, and reason to create good rhetoric.

John Locke was a hugely profound scholar during this time. Not a rhetorician, his philosophies provided society with moving knowledge on subject matter including politics and searching for truth within the physical world, yet gaining knowledge as a psychological phenomenon. During this time period, it seemed as if there was more stress put upon the development of good pathos, because many of the teachings and writings during this time period discussed the importance of discussing emotional contexts.

Mary Astell was quite interesting to read about, as she was considered the "first English feminist" by other scholars and intellectual members of society. Although she stressed the importance of religion, piety, and lead a very religious lifestyle, she was important for spreading the voice of women within society during the eighteenth century. Although she struggled to become a writer, she wrote many books on religion, politics, and lifestyles, which showed her ability to tackle controversial issues within society and write profound things. She also stressed that men and women are intellectually equal, helping to push women's rights forward, as she expressed various important aspects of womanhood that were necessary in becoming good rhetoricians and speakers.

The assigned readings for this day are interesting, in that although the Renaissance pushed many intellectual ideas forward, the Enlightenment time period was a crucial point in honing these ideas and increasing the importance of scientific knowledge.