Smith’s definition of rhetoric functions as a way of denying and defaming those who she claims “deny and defame [rhetoric]”, implying that such individuals that are anti-rhetoric are hypocritical, and use rhetoric the most. In implying this, Smith argues that anti-rhetoricians are the ones that use rhetoric in the most effective fashion. The almost oxymoronic nature of rhetoric is never overtly mentioned by Smith, but is implied through the connection of two of her main points in her article.
When Smith mentions the most effective rhetoric being that which is not consciously applied, it is directly related to the type of people she discusses when she says that people who are against rhetoric use it all the time. Although Smith does not have these ideas directly placed next to each other in her article, simple logic allows readers to draw the conclusion that she see’s rhetoric as counterproductive to those who view it in a negative light.
If this is true that those who are against rhetoric can be the most effective at using it, that then must mean that those who are conscious of their use will be far less effective, at least if going by what Smith has presented in this article.
-Elliott Bennett
