Monday, September 7, 2015

Aristotle lays out the three parts of persuasion in detail that was at times quite befuddling. The main three parts are how to produce, present and arrange persuasion in a speech. An important part of speech is how it is presented. This refers to specific word selection, because there are many ways to say the same thing and how it is said affects how the audience will react. Framing is an important part of a speech and different word arrangements can create different tones and change how a speech is received by the audience. For example prohibiting vs. protecting create two different feelings in an audience. Saying we should prohibit abortion sounds different than we should protect unborn children but they mean the exact same thing. Aristotle said rhetoric is about demonstrating and that when we are persuaded when something has been successfully demonstrated. Demonstrating what is right and what is good should be easier than demonstrating what is wrong and bad, therefore in a court room setting if the judge were to come to an incorrect conclusion the fault would lie on the speakers. The judge in a court room is meant to be unbiased and not perverted by personal emotions which is why rhetoric isn’t just about persuasion based off emotions. Rhetoric’s function is not just to persuade but also to demonstrate the truth, which was an important topic to Aristotle.

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