Rhetoric in Literature
- The ideas of the author to the reading audience are conveyed by the rhetoric in literature . It is used in literature, the same way as it is in political speeches, to present the ideas of the author in a persuasive way.
The argument put forth by a piece of writing is presented using rhetorical techniques, overall style or voice.
Rhetorical techniques are used by authors like allegory, metaphor & oxymoron to persuasively convey their opinion on a subject. This helps authors to create an emotional response in the reading audience.
- Rhetors convey their opinions & arguments as effectively as they can. For instance, George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four , which is a story, in one sense, but the underlying argument is about totalitarianism & its dangers. He uses rhetorical techniques like irony to convey the brainwashing methods used by the dystopian society, for example, the Ministry of Love which is the center for torture.
The use of rhetoric in literature is concerned with the distinction between logic & language. Rhetors are mainly concerned with how the logical the content of their arguments can be presented linguistically in order to a profound effect on the audience.
Authors presenting an argument in the form of a scene or story have to consider the ways in which language can be used to convey it.
What is Rhetoric?
Rhetoric
Speaking or writing that’s intended to persuade is known as Rhetoric. If we intend to write editorial columns, or while forming points for a debate or an argumentative essay, we should work on our rhetoric.
The word “ Rhetoric“ has a Greek origin which means “speaker” which is used for the art of persuasive speaking or writing. While listening eagerly to long speeches & while studied them in school, rhetoric was used by people in a positive sense; now it is often seen as a negative term, that implies artfulness over real content. For instance, if a person gives a clever speech but doesn’t mention the problem that needs to be addressed, one can say, “That’s just a lot of rhetoric.”
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