Rhetoric

Rhetoric

The art of speaking or writing persuasively or effectively. Any affective use of speach.

Rhetoric was prominently used in ancient education. Someone using Rhetoric would work to organize figures of speech, arrangement, and the delivery of what was being said. The [[1]]Romantic movement put an end to the importance placed on rhetoric, by pointing out that it was "shallow", and void of real meaning. When used in Greek, rhEtorikE, literally meant the art of oratory. Oratory means "the art of speaking in public eloquently or effectively" ("Oratory") Someone who practiced, studied, or created rhetoric was known as a rhetorician.

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Rhetoric is defined as "an ability, in each [particular] case, to see the available means of persuasion." (Aristotle, 36) In rhetoric, as Aristotle puts it, there are three "species" (Aristotle, 37) ethos, pathos, and logos. Rhetoric is used in any form of public address. Often it is used to describe politics, as Aristotle states "thus too, rhetoric dresses itself up in the form of politics." (Aristotle, 39)

Image courtesy of Felicia Steele

Bibliography

Aristotle, A Theory of Civic Discourse On Rhetoric. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Baldick, Chris. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.

Merriam-Webster, "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". Merriam-Webster, Incorporated . 2/20/06 <http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/oratory>.

Merriam-Webster, "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". Merriam-Webster, Incorporated . 2/20/06<http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/rhetoric>.

Steele , Felicia . "Rhetoric and Argument: A Review". The College of New Jersey. 2/20/06 <http://steele.intrasun.tcnj.edu/spring2002/rhet2/rhetreview.html>.