SOME COMMENTS ON ALEXS RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION: WHAT KIND OF TEXT IS THE GORGIAS?

Even though Socrates and Callicles are at first arguing about rhetoric itself, I still have feeling to believe that the Gorgias text, by Plato, is a rhetorical text. As we learned earlier on in the course, a rhetorical text must involve exigency, and according to the lecture we had on the rhetorical situation, exigency is the motivating factor or the something that sets the rhetorical situation into action. The exigency within a text can also be seen as the problem that has a response open to debate, or in other words, a problem that gives rise to discourse in the form of debate. Corresponding with this, I believe that Gorgias by Plato is therefore a rhetorical text. In this text, the exigency, or the motivating factors, would consist of all the areas of the text in which Socrates and Callicles differ. One minor example of this exigency that stood out to me as I read the second portion was when Socrates questioned Callicles by posing the argument that the wiser is the better. Callicles agreed with this and Socrates went on to say, And ought not the better to have a larger share? (30) With this Callicles was able to debate, Not of meats and drink. Continuing the debate, Socrates kept bringing up other subjects to ask Callicles about, such as whether the skilfullest weaver ought to have the largest coat and the best in making shoes ought to have the advantage in shoes. At this point, Socrates is using rhetoric to try and get Callicles to agree with what he is saying whether it be an indirect or a direct agreement. In being a bit suspicious, I believe, Callicles points out that Socrates is talking nonsense, but what Callicles may not realize is that Socrates is putting himself in the shoes of his opponent, Callicles, and is debating with things he feels may bring some common ground between the two. Due to the fact that there is great exigency and debate throughout the text, along with an audience, with each of the speakers acting as one anothers audience, I strongly believe that this is an example of a rhetorical text. Both Socrates and Callicles are trying to get the other to view the various debates their way by using the many rhetorical strategies including the initial exigency that begins each argument.
You do a great job of defining your terms here! First, you define rhetoric (i.e., as discourse motivated by an exigence), then define exigence itself, and then explain how exigence can be found in a text. Very clear!

Hmmm. Im not entirely convinced that the example youve chosen is in fact an exigence. True, Socrates and Callicles differ on this point, but, for that difference to be exigent, it would need to be urgent in some way, not an idle subject of debate. Can you provide evidence that the disagreement is an urgent one? Great use of textual evidence, by the way its really important to back up your claims with evidence! I agree that Socrates aims not merely to inform his audience (here, Callicles) but to persuade them perhaps even against their will. Since your definition of what counts as rhetorical has now expanded (i.e., rhetoric includes not only an exigence but an audience), you should revise the definition you give in the first paragraph. And once agin: nice use of textual evidence!

Nice summary. It might be even stronger if, here, you not only reiterated your definition of rhetoric as such but explained how rhetoric, as embodied in the Gorgias, differs from some other kinds of discourse, for example, philosophy and/or literature. Contrasting rhetoric with some other terms could help clarify what rhetoric is.