Welcome one and welcome all--Annyeong hashimnikka!
I am so excited to be debuting RhetoricalRoundhouse.com and my new blog. This project has been a long time coming and I have great aspirations for its future in the academic and practitioner communities.
Given that it's a new year, new website, new blog etc. etc., I thought it might be a good idea to set out some intentions for what I hope Rhetorical Roundhouse can become in 2019.
1. The site currently features eight distinct pages providing a basic interpretation of the fundamental principles of Palgwe. These pages each feature a multimodal composition that I've affectionately dubbed "Poomse Poetry" to help illustrate how Tae Kwon Do forms are a type of embodied rhetoric. In essence, these videos are poomse performances dubbed over with my own personal meditations about how the principles of Palgwe help me in my own life. My number one goal for this year is to host more exemplar videos. I'm in the process of reaching out to Masters in my own Tae Kwon Do circles to commission more videos like mine, but, don't worry, you don't need any special invitation to contribute! If you'd like to submit something to be featured on Rhetorical Roundhouse, just follow our submission guidelines and contact us. By the end of the year, I hope to have a nice collection of videos featuring martial artists from all over the country (maybe even the world!)
2. Additionally, the site features a small informational page on the history of the Taegeuk symbol. This is just scratching the surface with the kind of quality researched information I'd like Rhetorical Roundhouse to help share with Tae Kwon Do practitioners across the globe. Unfortunately, our art is steeped in a lot of conflictiong histories and mythologies that, at one time, all served a very valuable purpose for promoting the sport. Presently, however, we are in a time when there is much confusion regarding the history, cultural values, and philosophy inherent in Tae Kwon Do practice. One big goal of 2019 is to use this blog as a place to share validated research and vetted information regarding Tae Kwon Do history and philosophy. This goal is primarily geared toward martial artists who lack a reliable source for peer-reviewed or researched information regarding their art.
3. Finally, as the name suggests, Rhetorical Roundhouse is dedicated to bridging the gap between the academic discipline of Rhetoric and Composition and fields like Martial Arts Studies. It is my firm belief that Tae Kwon Do and all other martial arts function rhetorically in a variety of ways, and 2019 will be the year where I advance those notions in scholarship. The first steps to producing quality journal articles will be writing through the ideas on this blog. It's my hope that these entries may incite a lively discussion among diverse academic communities.
I couldn't be happier at the thought of all the work I've just given myself. Check back in a few months to make sure I'm still so filled with joy :)
--Spencer Todd Bennington
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