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Boris Johnson’s Party Conference Speech: why it’s important and what to expect

Britain is on the brink of leaving the European Union and Boris Johnson finds himself on the front line. On all sides he faces forces that work against him day and night to weaken his position as Prime Minister and hamper his efforts to take Britain out of the European Union.

Boris Johnson’s speech at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester may well be a defining moment in his ‘Battle for Brexit’. He has to unite a broken party, inspire a disillusioned nation and send a strong message that will thunder its way across the political chambers of Europe. The question is, will he manage? Continue reading “Boris Johnson’s Party Conference Speech: why it’s important and what to expect” →

The Rhetoric of Donald Trump on Twitter

I think it is safe to say that if you have done something that evokes an angry tweet from Donald Trump you’re winning at life. His tweets are famous for their manner, their meaning and their outright chutzpah!

Some people laugh at his tweets, others praise him for his frankness, and some are outright horrified by what he has to say. Whatever your views are, it is impossible to deny that he is a colossal figure and what he says matters.

But politics aside, the rhetoric behind his tweets are fascinating. Before I go on, I will quickly mention that it is easy to think that rhetoric is only found in grandiloquent speeches delivered by eloquent speakers and that it isn’t used in the realm of twitter. But that would be wrong. On the contrary, rhetoric is used everywhere, and by everyone – and that certainly includes Donald Trump on twitter. Continue reading “The Rhetoric of Donald Trump on Twitter” →

Rhetoric and the confusio linguarum

I recently gave a TEDx Talk all about rhetoric at the University of Cambridge and a member of the audience approached me with a very interesting question. He said, ‘I am Turkish. Are all of these rhetorical devices you talk about applicable in Turkish as they are in English?’.

Whilst I must admit that I am not too well versed in the intricacies of the Turkish language, I told him that I am sure that most of the rhetorical devices I spoke of in my speech are transferable – for example, the rule of three (tricolon) tends to be universally applicable across most languages. Continue reading “Rhetoric and the confusio linguarum” →