In Class Discussion/Activities #7: Shopping Experience & the Five Rhetorical Canons

Here is my shopping experience using the five canons:

Product: Gateway Mini Laptop

I went to Best Buy to purchase a mini laptop. I went to Best Buy because I wanted a laptop that had a substantial amount of memory, but was small enough was also easy to carry back and forth from school since I am a commuter. When I got there a Best Buy sales person helped me find the perfect computer that fit my needs.

Phase 1: Invention = Content
When I went into store I had originally chosen a different computer and was just going to the store so that I could physically see it and make sure that it was the right computer for me. I asked the sales person to honestly tell me whether I was making the best choice. The computer I had chosen was an HP netbook but he told me that the Gateway Net-book was the best. He gave me statistics and facts to back up why the Gateway computer was better than the others they had in stock. So, he convinced me that the Gateway computer was a better choice.


Phase 2: Arrangement = Organizational Structure of Speaker
He started off by asking me what I was looking for. I told him that I wanted a computer that was small but had enough memory for me to save a bunch of files on. He asked me if I was a student because there were a bunch of computers that students particularly liked. So he showed me those computer and out of those I picked out the one I had seen in many advertisements on television or on the internet. I asked him which computer has the most memory because problem was that I couldn’t find a small computer with enough memory the last during a school day. He told me which one had the best memory and was the best overall.

Phase 3: Style = Language of Speaker
The sales person talked to me in a way that made it so I understood what he was talking about. Not everyone understands computers or what exactly they need to be looking for when it comes to computers so having someone who understands that and can help you at the same time is very important. He was very professional.

Phase 4: Delivery = Presentation of Speaker
I liked the way that he talked about the computer with me. Even though I know a lot about computers it was still nice for him to make his answers simple and not complicated. I think if you have ever experienced a sales person who is complicated it just turns you off from purchasing the product no matter how good it is. So, I was glad that he was able to explain what made the computer good but make it understandable at the same time. He made sure to ask me questions like if I was a student? Or what I was going to use the computer for? These questions helped him find the right computer for me.

Phase 5: Memory = Information Memorized by Speaker
I liked the way that he (the sales person) demonstrated that they knew computers and knew what they were talking about. When I asked which was the overall best mini laptop he told me. He didn’t just say that it was a good laptop he explained using facts from memory about the computer he thought was the best.