Rhetoric, The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking

Rhetoric, the art of persuasive writing and public speaking

Episode #1 Introduction to the Rhetoric

 

So in today. We will examine speeches by prominent twentieth-century Americans that highlight the element and practice of rhetoric. A look at the most successful speeches and pieces of writing in history will show that behind their polished prose elegant logic, and smooth delivery lies a highly developed craft of composition and a labor of careful revision.

Before I go deeper. Think about your own experience. Who are some speakers you admire? Pick three speakers you admire, explain one or more of your choices. Which of his or her speeches and phrases do you find particularly memorable, and why?

What are three words that come to mind when you hear the word "rhetoric"?. Some documents speeches seems to capture the imagination of a nation or a culture. Their phrases are oft-repeated. Their logic invoked by entire political coalitions or social movements. You have almost certainly heard President Kennedy's famous phrase, 

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." If went to an American high school, you may have had to memorize Abraham Lincoln's vow at Gettysburg that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth", and if you have paid attention to U.S. politics  in the late 2010s, you certainly have heard the political mantra, "Make America great again," though you may not know 1980 Ronald Reagan speech it comes from.

Why were these acts of oratory so powerful? Can we explain what made them so effective? And how can we improve our own writing and speaking so that it will influence the people who read or hear it?

for more than two millennia, thinkers and writers have attempted to answer these questions. Their ideas and their concreate suggestions have come to make up what the ancient Greeks called "ritoriki". The study of rhetoric, or what we might call the art of argument.

These days, rhetoric gets a bad name, we often hear phrases like, "that's just rhetoric," "left-wing rhetoric," or "right-wing rhetoric". Many dismiss rhetoric as empty and meaningless, or useful only to scholars and politicians.

As we have seen, rhetoric can be any kind of persuasive writing and speech. Its use is not confined to law or politics. In fact, in the age of mass media, persuasive messages surround us. The study of rhetoric allows us to both make and interpret arguments. Far from meaningless or merely academics, rhetoric has a real effect on people's behavior. Words move us to action. They drive our decisions from what to buy to whom to elect, to whether or not to go to war.