Finding the Place of Silent Rhetoric for ESL Students in College Composition

English as a Second Language (ESL) students' silent expression in writing is often perceived as "indirect" or "inarticulate" in the views of Western rhetoric and academia. However, the meaning of silence and its rhetorical practice can differ from culture to culture, and this difference forms a cultural ethos that is unique and significant to the writer. In response to Anne Gere's aesthetic, ethical, and political dimensions of silence, I explore cultural ethos as another dimension to recognize ESL students' silent rhetoric and to expand the theoretical and pedagogical landscape of rhetoric and composition.