Do you have a friend or relative who says the right thing at the right time? Or, maybe, you have that one funny person in your life who just drops the right joke when it’s needed? If so, these are all examples of kairos, or timeliness. The meaning of kairos is not overly complex. This post will dissect kairos and show how you can use it in your own writing to stay current.
Kairos Meaning and Definition
As with most of rhetoric, you can define it a variety of ways. For the purposes of this post, we are going to define Kairos as “timeliness.” With that said, kairos is linked to ethos, pathos, and logos, or credibility, emotion, and logic respectively. These three rhetorical strategies act as a sort of extension of argument. Obviously, it goes much deeper than that because there’s a lot to rhetoric. However, a simplified definition is functions in this context. To put it simply, kairos is a matter of appropriateness of speaking or writing.
“Kairos is knowing what is most appropriate in a given situation; for our purposes, let’s think of it as saying (or writing) the right thing at the right time,” states writer Kate Pantelides for Writing Commons. “Appeals to kairos in written form try to make use of the particular moment—attempting to capture in words what will be immediately applicable, appropriate, and engaging for a particular audience.” In other words, there is a time and place for something to happen (a certain message, phrasing, praise, retribution, etc.) and we can define that as kairos.
Examples of Kairos in Rhetoric
The example that is often given is Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” This particular speech draws on the fiery feelings of the time into one dramatic and relevant speech. I also recall reading King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that equally speaks to kairos. This is the case because it tapped into the political and intellectual zeitgeist of the time.
Here are a few more examples:
- Comebacks
- Wit
- Adaptability
- Anticipation (rhetorical velocity)
Conclusion
With these considerations to the meaning of kairos, you might think about how you can incorporate kairos into your own writing. For instance, think about the relevancy of your argument. Does it matter to you or your community right now? Also, think about what you are writing about and the world at large. Is it a timely argument or is it going to matter in the context of the timeframe in which you live? Using kairos strategically can help you not only get the attention of readers, but it can also make you persuasive.
Works Cited
Pantelides, Kate. “Kairos.” Writing Commons. Web.
Spacey, John. “8 examples of kairos.” Simplicable.com. Nov. 28, 2018. Web.
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