Rhetoric 

Introduction

Have you ever seen a commercial ad that was just so convincing or know a person that you find persuasive. Persuading someone with the usage of language is an art. Rhetoric is the art of using language in an effective way. Rhetoric which is also called the civic art is negatively associated with political speeches because it’s an art of persuasive writing and public speaking. In deliberate rhetoric a politician can give an example from the past to predict the future outcome to persuade the audience i.e. how a policy will be beneficial or harmful. Or a marketing company can be very persuasive by using simple techniques; by demonstrating the experience of expertise they create a feeling of credibility in their audience followed by an emotional reassurance how their product will be beneficial. Logic driven persuasion techniques are used to convince consumers to buy products. By knowing rhetoric one can better understand a person's message and fill in the gap in information. Rhetoric also provides a framework for critical thinking and to demonstrate an individual’s thought process. In this blog I will share with you Aristotle's idea of rhetoric, the modern rhetoric and a brief introduction of Thomas Wilson and his views on rhetoric. 

Aristotle The Father Of Rhetoric

Rhetoric is the art of eloquent and effective language. Aristotle the great Greek philosopher is seen as the father of rhetoric. According to Aristotle you can persuade audience on any subject matter by using ethos (an appeal to speaker's character), pathos (an appeal to the audience's emotions) and logos (using the logical reasoning.) Aristotle categorized rhetoric in the following three classifications:

1: Epideictic rhetoric: which is to praise or blame during ceremonies. 

2: Forensic rhetoric: which examines the past events and primarily is concerned with establishing the facts of an issue.

3: Deliberative rhetoric: which is to persuade an audience to take or not take an action i.e. to support or oppose a given policy. 

Modern Rhetoric

Aristotle did not create rhetoric just as a tool to convince audience but rather an art form to present one's persuasive argument. Although the modern rhetoric is rooted in the essential function of language however it went through many changes and it differs from Aristotle's rhetoric. The modern rhetoric analysis how speech and writing operates. The modern rhetoric involves language or symbol and involves a motive. It has following two categories or concepts:

1: The use of a language or symbol system.

2: The use of language in the service of some motive with an aim to effectively influence the targeted audience.

Kenneth Burke who was an American literary critic and is well known for rhetorically based analysis. He defines rhetoric as a symbolic action, it act through symbols. We constantly use symbols to influence one another. 

The use of symbol implies a motive behind the use and this motive or purpose is a key feature of rhetorical analysis. 

Furthermore, usually there is a situation that calls for a text to come into existence. The force of this call is sometimes referred to as an exigence. Exigence in writing is the moment or situation that causes someone to write or speak about a specific problem or situation. An occasion can also be created in text itself.  The purpose of the text is typically identified with infinitives: to introduce, to persuade, to praise, to inform, to illustrate, to question, to express, to conclude, to refute, or to analyze etc. 

Thomas Wilson & His Views On Rhetoric

Thomas Wilson was a British government agent and member of the England's parliament. He was also an author and a translator. He studied civil law in Italy. He was originally from England. For engaging in Protestant intrigue, he was imprisoned. He managed to escape prison and went to Ferrara, Italy where he did his PhD in civil law. After the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, he returned back to England. He became the co-secretary of the queen and wrote six books. He published his first book in 1553 which was also the first ever written book on logic in English language. He made connections with notable people who worked in England's parliament. He completed two significant political treaties. Wilson worked as a prosecutor of the traitors after becoming the queen’s secretary. Wilson also worked as privacy counsel. 

Wilson's views on rhetoric differ from modern literary thinking along three axes. According to Wilson:

1: "History poses a close connection indeed a fraternal relationship between literature and philosophy, especially logic.

2: The literary discourses is deeply grounded in the praxis of political and social life."

3: Wilson presents literary experiences in terms of oral-aural performances rather than written read-text.

According To Wilson How Is Rhetoric Different From Philosophy? 

Wilson assumes that rhetorical practice (literature) is concerned with same subject matters as philosophy, especially ethics and politics. He assumes that literature just like all other non-mathematical human sciences, uses the same basic method which is logic. Philosophy and rhetoric both use logic but rhetoric differs from philosophy in two ways. Firstly, rhetoric doesn’t differ in subject or method but grounds itself in situations and occasions where the questions have more limited and immediate scope than these addressed in philosophy. And secondly it lacks strictly logical discussion and makes conscious use of artful language techniques. It makes a situation meaningful to particular people in a particular situation.