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Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle Essay

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Aristotle and other great philosophers define rhetoric as a form of persuasion. Aristotle was the first to explain the rhetorical triangle and its divisions which are: the speaker, the audience, and the message (Aristotle 185). Aristotle also argued how rhetoric falls into these divisions (185). Although all of the parts of the rhetorical triangle are significant, the audience is the most important. If the speaker does not understand his audience, he will not be able to convey the message. The rhetorical triangle is applied in politics and religion because it has a speaker, a message, but also an audience to whom the speaker tries to convey their message to; their audience is a key factor for the speaker to be able to do so.
During political …show more content…

Not only in ceremonies at church, but also outside of church. In the Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, Blair argues, “... the defects of his style can almost on every occasion, be traced back to his indistinct conception of the subject: so close is the connection between thoughts, and the words which are clothed.” (952). For example, during church sermons, the speaker, which in this case is the preacher, understands that his audience believes in God, so he will speak to them about God, and help them understand the bible and to keep believing in God. But if the audience is not religious, the preacher knows that he or she must find a way to make the audience believe. Therefore like Campbell states, “when persuasion is the end, passion also must be engaged.” (926), the preacher or a church member has to make his or her subject feel passionate about God. The speaker will appeal to the audience in a way they understand, which is how their life will improve after they decide to believe in God, because human beings seek happiness. The speaker will then explain how God changed their lives and how it will change the audience lives. The orator also understands the fear of death, and assures the audience that they will have eternal life after death if they decide to believe in God. Therefore, the audience feels like there is hope that their life will be able

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