Kairos in Rhetoric
From DigitalRhetoricCollaborative
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| + | Kairos (Greek: καιρός - usually translated as “the opportune or appropriate time”) is a moment when conditions are fit for the accomplishment of a crucial action. Rhetorically speaking, it is a particularly opportune window for a rhetor to introduce a point. From a speaker’s standpoint, strategically timing the implementation of an idea in a rhetorical context demonstrates kairos. | ||
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| + | The origin of the word, though non-rhetorical, illustrates its modern use well. Its first meaning referred to “a narrow slit in a wall through which a soldier would shoot an arrow. If the target was moving and the soldier only had a very narrow gap, the timing of the shot was crucial.” | ||
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==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
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| + | The analyzed artifact is a letter from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to Nicholas Murray Butler, a former president of Columbia University. The letter was published in The New York Times on June 6th, 1932. In the letter, Rockefeller publically announced his support for the repeal of alcohol prohibition and the 21st Amendment. This sent shockwaves through the American public, because he had previously been a staunch supporter of prohibition--a lifelong teetotaler. | ||
==Artifact Analysis== | ==Artifact Analysis== | ||
Revision as of 15:17, 16 April 2015
Kairos (Greek: καιρός - usually translated as “the opportune or appropriate time”) is a moment when conditions are fit for the accomplishment of a crucial action. Rhetorically speaking, it is a particularly opportune window for a rhetor to introduce a point. From a speaker’s standpoint, strategically timing the implementation of an idea in a rhetorical context demonstrates kairos.
The origin of the word, though non-rhetorical, illustrates its modern use well. Its first meaning referred to “a narrow slit in a wall through which a soldier would shoot an arrow. If the target was moving and the soldier only had a very narrow gap, the timing of the shot was crucial.”
Contents |
Introduction
The analyzed artifact is a letter from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to Nicholas Murray Butler, a former president of Columbia University. The letter was published in The New York Times on June 6th, 1932. In the letter, Rockefeller publically announced his support for the repeal of alcohol prohibition and the 21st Amendment. This sent shockwaves through the American public, because he had previously been a staunch supporter of prohibition--a lifelong teetotaler.
