Is there a crisis in political rhetoric? The more you think about this question the more you realise just how gargantuan the can of worms you just opened is. Simply knowing how to strategically approach this questions is a mission within itself, and that was the focus of the recent workshop hosted by the Network of Oratory and Politics which took place at Queen Mary University in London on Wednesday 13th September. Continue reading “Is There a Crisis in Political Rhetoric?”
Tag: Aristotle
This rhetorical commentary of Cersei Lannister’s speech is written purely as an exercise for identifying uses of classical rhetoric in modern popular culture. Rhetoric is used in discourse all the time; it is used in speeches, movies, books, articles and even TV shows about dragons!
If you haven’t watched Game of Thrones, it will still make sense as I have quoted the script and you don’t need much context. If you are currently watching Game of Thrones and haven’t watched up to Season 7 Episode 2 then I suggest you stop reading now (spoiler alert)!
This speech is an example of a philippic which is an aggressive attack on someone’s ethos (this is also known as ad hominem).
Continue reading “Game of Rhetoric: A rhetorical commentary on Cersei Lannister’s speech”
Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Indigenous People of Australia is one of the best written political apology speeches of our time. This rhetorical commentary highlights some of these components and explains their use and effect.
The speech was delivered in the Australian Parliament in April 2008…
Cambridge Speechwriter 