Rhetoric and the Rhetoric triangle

   Rhetoric as stated by a Merriam Webster dictionary is, "the art or skill of speaking or writing formally and effectively especially as a way to persuade or influence people." This definition is shared with many other sources and have been defined as the same way. A simple version of this definition would be that rhetoric is a formal way of writing or speech where the purpose of it is to influence reader or listener. Yet sometimes as stated in corporatevocabulary.com rhetoric writing can be extremely formal and "flowery" which then can be hard to find the meaning of what the speaker is trying to say. 

   Rhetoric can be seen in use in fundraisers, presentations and in nonfictional writing. It adds the speakers sometimes personal feelings or thought. An example of a rhetorical sentence could be "who made that dunce the boss?" where dunce make others show that the speaker does not believe the boss should be in power. As you can see, this is why rhetoric is such a useful way to add persuasion since by placing key words it lets the reader know the speakers opinion. While reading, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, I came across a rhetorical question which was, "does anyone really need to be creative or become a scholar to experience flow?" In the sentence you can see that the author, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, makes the question easy to answer (which is no) by using the key word, "really" which persuades the reader that anyone can experience flow.
*flow is what the author describes as "a state of concentration so
focused that it amounts to absolute absorption in an activity."

   How this literature a work of rhetoric? Well, the moral of the book is to tell the reader how to reach a point of total "flow" which is the most optimal good feeling. Flow is generated by taking steps to reach it such as understanding human emotion and the mind. Uses of rhetoric writing was used many times to lead the reader into achieving and understanding flow while also explaining why its beneficial to have flow. Rhetoric writing uses many tools and in this book the use of questioning and repetition was used.

   Rhetorical triangle is three points that make up a speech or writing which captures attention and is effective. Some describe it as ethos,pathos, and logos (ethos= beliefs pathos=experiences logos=facts) with these three, speeches and writing have a better way of obtaining effectiveness. The basis of the rhetoric triangle was developed by Aristotle while he studied many effective speakers, such as leaders, and discovered these 3 basic points that evoked the people. With the rhetorical triangle, speakers and writers can connect with the reader and cause influence. In Flow: POE (The Psychology of Optimal Experience), Ms. Csikszentmilhalyi used all three points when she was writing there was, ethos, "Each year hundreds of books are published with advice on how to stay trim, how to grow rich, or how to develop self-confidence. While these self-help books may help a reader in the short term, they are likely to be unsatisfying," Pathos, "The individuals who have inner harmony lead vigorous lives, are open to a variety of experiences" , and logos, "The studies have suggested that the phenomenology of enjoyment has eight major components, 1. We confront tasks we have a chance of completing; 2. We must be able to concentrate on what we are doing;" etc.

   The speaker, Ms. Csikszentmilhalyi has been studying optimal experience for 20 years and have wrote several books during that time which makes her very skilled at writing rhetorically. She believes along with Aristotle that men and women are searching for happiness all their lives and with the right guidelines it can be achieved. She mainly is targeting people who seem to be at lost maybe depression or are unhappy beings and her guidelines sometimes contains being able to connect with spouse and children, "Flow in the family context has five characteristics: Clarity: children know what parents expect from them.(etc)" So the target audience is around mainly older people yet also contains some notes for the average teen and young adult, "Concern for the self disappears, yet, paradoxically the sense of self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over."

   The subject is made clear with Ms. Csikszentmilhalyi usage of rhetoric, "This ability to persevere despite obstacles and setbacks is the quality people most admire in others, and justly so; it is probably the most important trait not only for succeeding in life, but for enjoying it as well." In this piece Ms. Csikszentmilhalyi point of what we admire in a person persuades the reader that 
being able to achieve a goal such as that will make you be admirable. Throughout the read the author connects back to happiness and self regard with flow so the book subjects seems to be a guide to gain these feelings and to be consistent with it. I hope this is what the goal of the writing is because it seems that it will be a great read.