Intro to Rhetoric
What is rhetoric?
The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing
What is democracy?
Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
What skill is essential for us to develop that allows us to pay attention to all parts of a speech?
Active Listening
What is tone in public speaking?
Tone is the overall quality of a musical or vocal sound or utterance.
What is a persuasive angle?
A persuasive angle is the reason you believe what you do about a subject.
What was the name of the group in ancient Greece that taught the art of persuasion?
Sophists
Within a democracy, who are considered to be great rhetoricians?
Politicians - the art of influencing people
What is active listening?
The act of mindfully or carefully hearing and attempting to comprehend the meaning of words spoken by another in a conversation or speech.
What two things must you consider before you begin planning your speech, no matter what type of speech you are giving?
What is expected from you and what you want to achieve. This can also be thought of as: Your audience’s aims and your aims
What does bias mean?
Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared to one another, usually in a way considered to be unfair
Name the 3 Ancient Greek philosophers that theorised rhetoric
Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato
Rhetoric was involved in the development of what 3 main political systems?
Monarchy, Democracy, Republic
What strategies can help you actively listen to someone while they are talking?
Repetition, taking notes, doodling, creating mental pictures
How can you meet an audience's expectations with a speech?
The speech needs to validate or prove the accuracy of their concern, therefore, by providing logical arguments and solid facts and figures to back it up.
When Aristotle talks about a public speaker's character, what does he mean?
(1.4)
The speaker’s ability to look, sound, and act in a persuasive and believable manner.
How was Plato's opinion of rhetoric different to Aristotle's?
Plato believed rhetoric to be negative and manipulating, Aristotle had a more generous view of rhetoric. He saw that persuasive language could be used for the common good of society.
How and why was Hitler's speech so effective?
Hitler moves on to play on the listeners’ emotions to persuade them. By comparing holidaying Jews to the disgusting flies that eat from the bodies of corpses, Hitler creates a highly shocking image that is calculated to provoke a response of physical and moral repulsion in the listener.
What are the 3 types (categories) of speeches?
Persuasive, Informative and Special Occasions
How can you determine the best subject for your speech?
You should always choose subjects you are interested in and knowledgeable about.
What are Cicero's 5 canons of rhetoric?
Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, Delivery
According to Aristotle, there are 3 different types of rhetoric
Deliberative, Judicial, Demonstrative
What rhetorical technique did Martin Luther King use in his speech? Why?
Constant use of repetition. King repeats the phrase “I have a dream”. Each time he repeats this phrase, he is emphasizing it and allowing his listeners to consider all of its implications.
The structure of a speech is often compared to what?
A song - certain themes are returned to again and again, with variation in between
How do you come up with your own persuasive angle?
Researching your topic thoroughly until you fully understand it - to then form an educated opinion.
In class, we saw 3 types of special occasion speeches. What were they?
Best man's speech, Eulogy and Graduation Speech