Media studies classical discourse

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The Role of Aristotle 's Rhetoric in Marc Anthony 's Oration

Marc Anthony 's speech during Julius Caesar 's burial is an effective incorporation of Aristotle 's rhetoric , which helps him persuade his audience to shift allegiance from Brutus ' and his co-conspirators ' side to Julius Caesar 's . An extensive examination of Aristotle 's rhetoric will reveal the techniques used by Marc Anthony in his speech . The diction in an argument can be very powerful that it can first disguise its original intent

until it has already achieved it

In Book I of Aristotle 's Rhetoric , Aristotle compares rhetoric to dialectic . Dialectic is defined as discussion and reasoning by dialogue as a method of intellectual investigation ' while rhetoric is identified as the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion (Merriam-Webster ) Aristotle believes that the two are mirror images ' because they can both be used in formulating a solid argument and in arguing common knowledge s instead of specialized sciences (Murphy et al 62 . Rhetoric is considered an art because it can be taught and therefore , can be learned

Rhetoric appeals to the emotions and can be used as an alternative defense against physical attacks . Once all the means of persuasion has been used and the audience is still not persuaded , the rhetoric is not considered a failure (Murphy et al 62 . However , the speaker has to be well aware of the emotions that are involved in the argument , especially the emotions of the audience , in to know how to handle the issue to his or her advantage

According to Aristotle , rhetoric can be used in discussing political s such as revenue , war and peace , national defense , trade , and legislation . The mental exercise is important in ensuring that the government or any political party receives necessary checks that will prevent corruption or mismanagement . Moreover , rhetoric is used in discussing ethical s , which are abundant , as people continue to classify whatever is good or bad for humanity . Aristotle further discusses the use of different emotions used in rhetoric , in which in the case of Marc Anthony 's speech , the focus will be on two emotions pity and anger . Aristotle regards the emotions as temporary and believes that the orator can present the right emotion at the right time to achieve the needed reaction from the audience . In law courts emotional states ' play an important role in winning a case (Murphy et al 62

When discussing the emotion of anger , one of the theories that Aristotle discusses is that anger becomes a more common reaction to the unexpected . Anger flares more if the cause is brought about by a friend rather than an enemy it is unexpected , and has potential to cause more pain . In Aristotle 's rhetoric , anger has many causes . Belittlement of self and beloved people results to anger , because it affects the ego of the person who regards himself or herself superior (Murphy et al 92 If he...