Angel Rodriguez
Dr. Gilmour
Advanced Comp.
April 4, 2022
How Aristotle and Cicero’s Rhetoric and How Their ideas Strengthen Speeches
Generally, as a type of communication, rhetoric aims to convey information, convince, educate, and motivate audiences. It dates back to the days of the Greeks. Speeches are not the only places where rhetoric is employed. People often utilize it to share details of their weekends with specific individuals in their daily lives. Repetition, allusion, and other rhetorical devices are used to prepare and deliver persuasive speeches to convey meaning in multiple ways, especially to make the message more understandable.
Aristotle Rhetoric
As one of the greatest thinkers, Aristotle was also the first actual scientist in history. His groundbreaking work in philosophy and science included developing formal logic, identifying scientific disciplines, and studying their interrelationship (Turdiyev, 448). In addition, he classified rhetoricinto only three main categories: epideictic (ceremonial), forensic (judicial), and deliberative (policy-related) (where the audience is required to reach a verdict). He has been dubbed “the father of rhetoric” for his pioneering work in this area.
For historians, Rhetoric provides a framework for studying the history of persuasion. Aristotle effectively established the discipline in Rhetoric. How successful rhetoric is defined and applied by Aristotle can be found in his book, The Rhetoric of Aristotle. It has been over two millennia since Aristotle published his Rhetoric, in which he discusses the impact of language on people’s lives. With rhetoric, authors and presenters can build their arguments on the basis provided by rhetoric. Though rhetoric’s value has diminished since Aristotle’s day, we still utilize words, and many experts advocate reviving it.
Aristotle regarded rhetoric as a vital part of the education and job of public officials, and he wrote extensively on the subject. As a result of “its concentration on political unity and collaboration through persuasion,” the philosopher saw rhetoric as a necessity for statesmen. (Leff, 240).” As much as Aristotle acknowledges that rhetoric can be misused by those with no regard for its true value as an art form, he nonetheless defends it as a strategy capable of engaging rational thought and emotional response.
Typically, as much as Aristotle acknowledges that rhetoric can be misused by those with no regard for its true value as an art form, he nonetheless defends it as a strategy capable of engaging rational thought and emotional response. There are three types of appeals in a persuasive speech, according to Aristotle: logic (logos), passion (pathos), and ethos (ethos, or the heart) (good character of the speaker). In Aristotle’s view, ethos is the ability to persuade people based on their character.
However, to analyze persuasive speeches, ethos is a useful notion since it allows researchers to identify the methods employed by speakers. The ethos of a speech can be something like this: “Believe my remarks because I am a reputable person.” Using ethos, a speaker convinces an audience that they are an open-minded and knowledgeable individual. Pathos is the art of persuasion that relies on emotional appeals to win over the listener. With pathos, one is more likely to succeed over their audience.The purpose of logos is actually to appeal to logic by relying on one’s audience’s intelligence and offering proof in favor of one’s argument. In addition to developing one’s ethos, logos help one appear more educated by providing information. Logical arguments are difficult to dismiss, which is why logos are crucial.
Cicero’s Rhetoric
On the other hand, Cicero saw himself more as a statesman and a public speaker than as a rhetorician in his own right. Despite this, he wrote multiple treatises on rhetorical issues during his career because of his intellectual curiosity, his thorough oratory training, and his willingness to pass on his insights to future generations about the art of persuading people. Both the importance of oratory in Rome’s worldwide standing and Cicero’s defense of his career are presented in his rhetorical theory of Cicero. Using his own oratorical experience as a basis for his rhetorical philosophy, Cicero defends the legitimacy of his oratory. Following Cicero’s lead in adopting a rational yet intricately balanced prose style, the Renaissance saw a rash of imitations, leading to the ossification of Latin as a whole.
Early in the twentieth century, few people had heard of Cicero, but that has all changed. This progress has been driven less by biographical techniques than by a spectrum of innovative approaches to the corpus of his writings, which have exposed their seriousness and originality and, by doing so, enlightened the social and intellectual culture of the late Roman Republic more broadly (Du Bos, 715). Perhaps it’s not surprising that Cicero’s speeches have remained on university curricula longer than any of his other writings and that Cicero’s re-evaluation began with speeches.
Cicero’s contributions to the notion of oral discourse also included the belief that the Orator must have a solid basis of universal knowledge. On the other hand, Cicero believed that an ideal orator should have the ability to talk in a dignified and restrained manner on any topic. According to Corbett, “Cicero understood that a great orator must be well-versed in a wide range of disciplines. Having a wide range of knowledge is necessary for the excellent Orator to create his influences.” Cicero disapproved orators who relied exclusively on beautiful language and fine words that lacked content. He envisioned the philosopher-statesman-learned Orator as the perfect figure to utilize rhetoric to influence public sentiment.
Cicero considered an orator’s role in the state’s well-being an essential part of intellectual activity. The three functions of the Orator were also incorporated into the three degrees of style that he used. He gave them an expansive view of Atticism, and he resurrected the best of Greek oratory theory and practice. Cicero could be described as an idealist. The values, ethics, and standards of the past were instilled in him as a student of Greek eloquence. Hellenic (ancient Greece) ideology was the principal subject of his work. Rome had become a city where free speech was no longer tolerated during Cicero’s time. Because of the government’s corruption.
Cicero shows a variety of speakers in Orator. Cicero tells the Romans to search for and discover their rhetorical style (Goodman, 715). Cicero asserts the importance of each of the five canons. It’s Cicero’s job to teach his Roman audience the rules of good oratory and how to hone their unique style of delivery. Rhetorical performance, argument construction, and more are all addressed in Orator. In comparison to other Ciceronian writings on rhetoric, Orator appears to be underappreciated and understudied.
Cicero’s words,the image of Ialysus was so beautiful that not only great people but even craftsmen didn’t surrender their talents since they could not match its beauty. Roman society’s most accomplished orators were not the product of an elite few; rather, Cicero suggests that rhetoric can be learned by anybody, regardless of their social status.
Work Cited
Du Bos, Jean-Baptiste. “Continuation of the Proofs That Show That the Ancients Notated Declamation. Some Changes to Roman Declamation That Occurred around the Time of Augustus. Comparison of This Change with What Happened to Our Music and Dance under Louis XIV.” Critical Reflections on Poetry and Painting (SET). Brill, 2021. 709-717.
Goodman, Rob. “I tremble with my whole heart”: Cicero on the anxieties of eloquence.” European Journal of Political Theory 20.4 (2021): 698-718.
Leff, Michael. “10. Isocrates, Tradition, and the Rhetorical Version of Civic Education.” Isocrates and civic education. University of Texas Press, 2021. 235-254.
Turdiyev, BekhruzSobirovich. “Cultural and educational development of society in the scientific heritage of world philosophers.” Academic research in educational sciences 2.4 (2021): 443-451.