Kamisama

I guess I've taken English and been doing well at writing, but I can't seem to understand what 'rhetoric' is. It seems like it's metaphysical and unable to be defined in a rational manner.

Is it simply writing style to get your reader to keep reading?
The reason to have writing style?

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Hodge

Rhetoric is a written or verbal technique that is meant to make an argument stronger than it really is. It can be by manipulating emotions, omitting certain facts, making yourself seem more credible, by twisting truths into half-truths, or by outright lying.

In English class it means something similar, but much more honest. It's basically your ability to put forth an argument and sustain it. Persuasive writing, essentially.

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bob rulz

Sounds very much like the definition of propaganda to me.

Mike C

Most propaganda is rhetoric.

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Anarkos

Most uses of language are, to a greater or lesser extent, exercises in propaganda and rhetoric.

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See the above for details!

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SilkFX

Rhetoric is the art of persuasive communication. It's not all bad. Sometimes you WANT to get people to see your side. Like on forums, for instance.

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mammamaia

rhet·o·ric
n.

1. 1. <LI type=a>The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively.
   2. A treatise or book discussing this art.
2. Skill in using language effectively and persuasively.
3. 1. <LI type=a>A style of speaking or writing, especially the language of a particular subject: fiery political rhetoric.
   2. Language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous: His offers of compromise were mere rhetoric.
4. Verbal communication; discourse.

[Middle English rethorik, from Old French rethorique, from Latin rhetorice, rhetorica, from Greek rhetorike (tekhne), rhetorical (art), feminine of rhetorikos, rhetorical, from rhetor, rhetor. See rhetor.]
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Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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rhetoric
n 1: using language effectively to please or persuade 2: high flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation [syn: grandiosity, magniloquence, grandiloquence] 3: loud and confused and empty talk; "mere rhetoric" [syn: palaver, hot air, empty words, empty talk] 4: study of the technique and rules for using language effectively (especially in public speaking)

Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

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RussellN

As Mammamaia indicates, these days the word Rhetoric is often more derogatory than in older times. It tends to be applied to politicians and other 'gasbags' under her point 3.2, but it is often also applied to 'learned persons' under point 3.1, indicating they have a good command of the English language, although frequently that means they are particluarly erudite with words the rest of us resort to a dictionary or thesaurus to understand.

It has particularly come to be used for paid, motivational speakers or management consultants, as in "Well, he certainly had good rhetoric" implying he didn't have substance (content), just lots of context and verbosity.

Of course, under my second example this entire discourse could be considered rhetoric - so I've just shot myself.

Russell

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