Rhetoric

    1. “Rhetoric”

      1. 1 The art of speaking or writing effectively: as

      2. a : the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times

      3. b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion

      4. 2 a : skill in the effective use of speech

      5. b : a type or mode of language or speech

  1. “Rhetoric.” Merriam-Webster. m-w.com. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

From “Aristotle’s Rhetoric.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

      1. 4.1 The Definition of Rhetoric

      2. Aristotle defines the rhetorician as someone who is always able to see what is persuasive (Topics VI.12, 149b25). Correspondingly, rhetoric is defined as the ability to see what is possibly persuasive in every given case (Rhet. I.2, 1355b26f.). This is not to say that the rhetorician will be able to convince under all circumstances. Rather he is in a situation similar to that of the physician: the latter has a complete grasp of his art only if he neglects nothing that might heal his patient, though he is not able to heal every patient. Similarly, the rhetorician has a complete grasp of his method, if he discovers the available means of persuasion, though he is not able to convince everybody.

  1. “Rapp, Christof. "Aristotle's Rhetoric", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Spring 2010. Ed. Edward N. Zalta Web. 20 Jan. 2013.

URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2010/entries/aristotle-rhetoric/>.

See also: Rhetorical Devices