Rhetoric

Rhetoric is a philological discipline that studies the art of speech, the rules for constructing imaginative (literary) speech, oratory, worldview, and eloquence. From the definition of rhetoric, it becomes clear what Aristotle set out to achieve with his treatise: based on observation, he wanted to provide general forms of the art of oratory and to indicate what an orator—indeed, anyone who wants to persuade someone about something—should be guided by. Accordingly, he divided his treatise into three parts. The first part is devoted to analyzing the principles on the basis of which an orator (that is, anyone speaking about something) can urge their listeners toward something or lead them away from something, can praise something or blame it. The second part concerns the orator’s personal qualities and traits, with which he can inspire trust in his listeners and thus reach his goal more surely—that is, persuade or dissuade them. The third part deals with the special (technical) side of rhetoric: Aristotle speaks here about the ways of expression that should be used in speech (style) and about the structure of an oratorical address. Numerous subtle psychological observations on the interaction between the orator and the audience (for example, about the significance of humor, pathos, and the influence on young people and on the elderly) and an analysis of the strength of the arguments used in speech give Aristotle’s work universal value.