The Rhetorical Modes

Having knowledge of the four rhetorical modes, comprising of description, narration, argumentation and exposition is a necessity for any human being. Indeed, it could be argued that these four modes are the basis through which effective communication takes place as well as the means through which societies grow and develop. Based on these assertions it is therefore essential that students have an awareness of these rhetorical modes, in other to function effectively in society.

Although these rhetorical modes all play an important role in the English language classroom, they should not be treated as if they were the same. In fact, when compared using the six writing traits ,for instance, it becomes clear that there are significant differences between these rhetorical modes, as is illustrated below.

1. Purpose

a. Descriptive prose is used to express what a thing looks like, smells like or tastes like. In short, it portrays how we perceive the world through our five senses (sight, hearing, touch smell and taste).

b. Narrative prose recounts a personal or fictional experience or tells a story. Narration is concerned with actions in a temporal sequence, with life in motion. It seeks to present an event to the reader, a sense of witnessing an action.

c. Expository prose is discourse concerned with making an idea clear, analysing a situation, defining a term, giving instructions and the like. Its primary function is to inform and explain.

d. An argument is an attempt to convince or persuade an audience that a claim is true by means of appeals to reason or to emotion.

2. Audience

a. ( Descriptive) - Reader- to help create a mental picture of what is being written about.

b. ( Narrative) Reader- to recreate an incident for readers rather than to simply tell them about it.

c. (Expository) Reader- conveys information to the reader so that a level of understanding can be achieved.

d. (Argument) Reader- It moves the readers to take an action or to form or change an opinion.

3. Content

a. (Descriptive) It answers the question ‘what’. For example: What is it like? What is he/she like?

b. (Narrative) This mode answers the question of what. For example: what happened?

c. (Expository) This mode has the types of questions that a piece of expository may answer. Some of these are: How does it work? What are the constituent parts? What is its importance?

d.Answers the question why is this so?

4. Style

a. Description : Explicit use of adjectives, data that appeals to sensory faculties and descriptive sequence.

b. Narration: Apparent use of action or dynamic verbs,dialogue. The point of view if the narrator is usually first or third person narrator. It should include story conventions such as plot, setting, characters, climax and resolution.

c. Exposition : The distinguishing features and style of exposition incorporates the following functions: analysis, classification, definition, illustration, cause and effect, comparison and contrast and analogy

d. Argument: For the presentation of evidence, arguments use facts, authoritative opinion, and personal experience for its development whilst the rebuttal or refuting side uses persuasion in the form of repetition, rhetorical questions and emotional appeals.

5. Voice

a. Descriptive: uses details that appeals to the senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch).

b. Narrative: conveys a particular mood (feeling) or to make an incident come alive, narratives employ the use of the first person or “I” narration and the third person or he/she/it persona.

c. Exposition: In exposition, the writing is engaging and reflective of the writer’s underlying commitment to the topic.

d. The voice of argument has a strong and definite position on an issue from the beginning of the piece and has enthusiasm from start to finish.

6. Organization

a. Descriptive: The organizing principle of description is spatial as it creates a virtual image in the minds of readers.

b. Narrative : The organisation principle of narration is temporal in nature meaning that its events are sequential.

c Expository: There is not one single method of organising exposition but rather a variety, with majority being based on logic: analysis, clarification, definition, illustration, cause and effect, comparison and contrast and sometimes analogy. The method chosen dictates the organisation of the piece as each method has its own distinguishing characteristics.

d. Argumentative: Argument is organised by way of formal elements and logic. The formal elements include at least two claims, the first of which being the conclusion and the other, the remaining claim or claims that are the grounds which support or justify the conclusion