Rhetorically speaking...

Without powerful rhetoric, the world of history and literature would barely stumble by. Many wonderful pieces of literature and moving speeches would just not have that “wow” factor without the application of compelling rhetoric. For instance, what if the following excerpts of literature and rhetoric were originally written or spoken as the altered words that follow each example?

William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet:
“See how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!
OR… “My girl is hot. I like how she moves. I wish my hand was on her cheeks, if you know what I mean.

Jesus, The Bible:
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
OR... “I’m God. Hand ‘em over.”

Martin Luther King, Jr., I Have a Dream:
“I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”
OR…”I think I have a pretty good idea. Wouldn’t it would be nice if maybe one day white kids and black kids in Alabama would be able to hold hands and play together and stuff like that? Huh.”

Barack Obama, US President Elect Speech:
“This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.”
OR… “Folks, let’s get this show on the road. Let’s start finding some jobs for people. Peace and love. Ignore the haters. I think we can.”

President Bill Clinton, Lewinsky Scandal:
“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”
Oh Slick Willy. It can’t really get any worse than that. But you will always be my boy.

As everyone else has mentioned, Williams is tough. Yet, it is important to know the origins of rhetoric. Even more importantly, it is also pretty important to know the definition of rhetoric. I think I’ve always just assumed that I know what the word means, when in reality I did not ever put any thought into it. After reading through the text, my thoughts on rhetoric have been simultaneously cleared up and mixed up. It seems that every different generation, nation, religion, university and individual had something different to say about rhetoric. What were you all thinking? (Rhetorically speaking)

I found the Sophists vision of truth to be interesting. It’s all relative. Protagoras’ teaching kind of makes sense though. Things are real and true to us as long as they appear to be that way. Facts are facts until they no longer have a reason to be a fact. However, such beliefs can produce corrupt actions. The book lists examples such as people believing that the holocaust never happened or that Americans never landed on the moon. I guess everyone has his or her right to believe what he or she wants. Yet, in this sense the sophists viewpoints became a bit wishy washy to me.

I did, however, become drawn to Isocrates three necessary factors that make a good rhetorician. These include talent, instruction and practice. I also agree that talent is the most important. However, I believe that instructed and practiced writers/speakers can beat out neglected talent. In that sense, I believe that purpose and motivation should also be a key factor to successful rhetoricians.

I am personally very fascinated in religious rhetoric. I was intrigued and glad that Williams discussed the rhetorical views of St. Augustine, along with his religious views. To me, the Jewish faith is filled with a rich rhetorical history. Ancient rabbi’s and students used to memorize the Torah in its entirety. Most towns only had one copy of the torah that was usually located at the Temple. In this sense, oral speech and memorization play a major role in rhetorical development. Additionally, each ancient rabbi interpreted the Torah from a different perspective. The Bible was seen as an open ended book. When a student followed a certain rabbi, that student took up that specific rabbi’s yoke or vision. In some ways, this reflects Sophist ideas. But, maybe that’s a stretch.

If you look at the teachings in the New Testament of the Bible, most lessons and parables are geared directly toward a Jewish crowd. The text uses specific examples and imagery that every Jewish person would be immediately familiar with. This is because the Christian teachers and writers of that day were teaching and writing to a large Jewish audience. This shows how rhetoric can be used to persuade/engage certain groups of people. Augustine echoes this sentiment. Williams writes, “Augustine argued that rhetoric could be put to use in preaching and, more important, in interpreting the Bible.” Some Christians today have no idea what they are really reading when they open up the Bible. This is because they are not always aware of the ancient meanings beneath the rhetoric. After learning more traditions and beliefs of the ancient Jews, a person can accurately read the text through the proper rhetorical lens.

I am nowhere near an expert on religion, and I am sorry if I misrepresented anything in the past two paragraphs! If I did I would love to stand corrected. I find the rhetoric of religious teachers and writing to be so fascinating and influential. It was interesting to think more about it after reading William’s text.