The Art of Rhetoric in the Metamorphoses

The unjust execution of 19 innocent people. This was the result of the Salem Witchcraft Trials, a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft. The play The Crucible depicts this incident as it closely happened in real life. One character in this play, Judge Danforth, was the judge of the trials who believed that these accusations of witchcraft were true, and order the executions of those 19 innocent people. Throughout his presence in the play, he convinces the people of Salem that what he believes in is correct, and that justice should be delivered to those who have sinned with the Devil. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Judge Danforth employs assertive diction, an aggressive tone, and utilization of ethos to

One’s words and method of expression can determine one’s fate in certain situations. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, characters are required to testify for their lives in the corrupt Salem witch trials. A particularly strong rhetorician is Deputy Governor Danforth, who has a position in the hierarchy of the Salem Court in determining whether the convicted witches are guilty. Danforth’s goal is to find the truth, and he resolutely understands that his verdicts so far are of the true. In defense of his truths, Governor Danforth uses rhetorical devices in his language in order to demonstrate the severity of his decisions thus far.

In class, we have discussed rhetoric, discourse communities, and the importance of properly conveying a point. While my professor, Mr. Larry D. Huff, does not seem to believe in the “rhetorical triangle,” we have had successful discussions on the ways we can prove a point using ethos, pathos, and logos. I successfully joined a discourse community and learned its respective ethos, pathos and logos. My sophomore year of high school, I auditioned and was accepted to the theatre department of The High School for Performing and Visual Arts and joined a discourse community which changed my life. The bumper sticker stretches across the entire back window of my car. Regardless, I am proud to have it for what it represents. This essay will explain the importance behind my sticker.

Sometimes one can never realize that what they are doing is wrong, at least until the consequences are revealed to them in the end. A happy ending does not always have to have a good event such as a marriage or happy-ever-after but it can be considered a good ending when a character or characters has gone through moral development. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses rhetorical devices such as logos, ethos and anaphora to provide moral reconciliation for John and Elizabeth Proctor, revealing the consequences through one's actions can spark a realization of wrongdoing.

In George Bernard’s play, Saint Joan, his character 'The Inquisitor' unleashes a powerful speech, aiming to persuade the church court to condemn Joan of Arc for heresy. In his plea, The Inquisitor using the rhetorical strategies of allusion hyperbole, and repetition to both argue his case and influence those who will decide Joan’s fate.

The topics that I am most interested is God and health. I am extremely passionate about my faith as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It may seem like these two topics are on the opposite side of the planet, but they have more similarities than you may think. My favorite reading thus far in A Time Traveler's Guide to Rhetoric is “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato. This story reminds me of today’s society, as humans begin to see the significance of light we also discover the truth. Of course, this all relates to my Christian faith, in which we seek the truth of Jesus Christ, we become the light in a dull and dark world. The longest paper I ever had to write was last year in my AP English course in which I was required to do a semester long

Rhetorical appeals reveals the hidden message the character is trying to convey. The language also highlights the characters emotions, feelings and the significance of the text. It allows readers to gain a better understanding of the characters. Arthur Miller, an American essayist, who wrote a variety of amazing plays. One of his famous plays, The Crucible, highlights the importance of rhetorical appeals throughout the play. John Proctor, the tragic hero is a loyal, honest, and kind-hearted individual. Proctor uses strong rhetorical appeals to highlight his emotions and his message. Proctor values his reputation and name. Proctor accuses Abigail Williams of witchcraft. The famous play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller explores Proctors speaking

In the Iliad, at the start of the Trojan War, Ajax, son of Oileus, is recognized as the best of the Greeks with a spear and the fastest runner, second only to Achilles himself. He also possesses skills in interpreting divine phenomenon. After observing the “light-feet” of charging soldiers and a falcon pursuing its prey, he concluded that the gods are with them and convinced greater Ajax to proceed offensively (Homer p. 245). These attributes give him an unwavering sense of confidence in matters on and off the battlefield. It is this same confidence that creates discontent for him among some of his contemporaries and the gods.

What is the crucible, a chaotic story, a perfectly planned our plan, or something more? Reason for this is because everyone gets all riled up, characters in the novel and the people reading the novel. The writer, Arthur Miller, uses a plentiful amount of rhetorical analysis to give this story a spice. Arthur Miller uses the rhetorical strategies, logos, ethos, and pathos to create an overall theme of controlled chaos.

Rhetoric seems like a big word but the meaning is simple- persuasion. In the book Julius Caesar, Antony and Brutus, two major characters, are fantastic at persuading the Roman citizens. When one is reading the story, they might think that both have equal amounts but when you look closer, Antony has the better rhetoric strategies. In just a few short sentences, Antony convinced the people to believe that Caesar needed revenge even though he never came out and told them that. Just a couple of minutes ago, the citizens were on Brutus’s side and thought that Caesar needed to go.

“The way to have power is to embrace it.” - unknown The Count of Monte Cristo and the song “Viva la Vida” by coldplay both talk about power and how it can be lost. In the Count of Monte Cristo and “Viva la Vida”, the writer's use of diction portrays that power can be embraced.

Rhetoric is a course in which students are taught the values of persuasion. And yet, behind this course is the utmost power to corrupt the world, changing it into a world of our own policies. This power, even though seldom discussed, has lead to many intriguing discoveries. One such discovery is how people are able to shape the world they live in simply by choosing the right words. Therefore those who would want the world to be a better place must protect this power. If in the wrong hands this power could cause serious damage. Several authors have striven to protect rhetoric and its power. Few agree on the matter of defining rhetoric, but they know that they must protect rhetoric from dark souls. A single definition of rhetoric must maintain a simplistic nature while incorporating every aspect of rhetoric. However, I argue that rhetoric is a means of persuading audiences of a situation and a particular reality through language and personal appeal. In order to prove this definition I will discuss how rhetoric creates a situation, the shaping of a different reality, the audience, the use of language, and the personal appeal. Finally, I will demonstrate the absolute need for rhetoric.

     A comparison between Virgil's hero, Aeneas, and the Homeric heroes, Achilles and Odysseus, brings up the question concerning the relevance of the difference between the Homeric heroes and Aeneas. The differences in the poets' concerns are explained by the fact that Virgil lived many years after Homer, giving Virgil the advantage of a more developed literary and philosophical society than Homer had at his disposal. But the question remains: how are the differences between the Homeric heroes and Aeneas relevant to the epic at large? This question will be answered by first pointing out the differences between Greek and Roman society, then explaining

Cassius, Brutus, and Antony use rhetoric successfully in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, albeit each differently and for different causes. Each of these men uses his skills in rhetoric to convince each other and at some points the entire population of Rome to follow his beliefs. However, each of these men has different motivations to do so, as well as different characteristics and general worldviews.

Continuing in the epic form, the opening lines of the poem, indeed follow the time-honoured epic tradition of announcing the theme and invoking divine assistance (Ovid). "Metamorphoses'" narrative method involves many of the devices of the epic manner: long extended similes, catalogues, famous heroic figures, quests and journeys, feasts, battles, heroic speeches, councils of war, and a supernatural plane to the action (Ovid). The range and precision of Ovid's references to the classical epic tradition in articulating the program of Metamorphoses establishes the poem's generic alignment with epos (Keith 239).