Download link for Word file: Campbell_Rhetor(original)

Words are often the source of power. Over generations, language as we know it has changed. However, the influence that our words possess and how we portray them remains a source of authenticity to ourselves and to our history. Rhetoric is an interesting subject. The way people throughout history have articulated their words so carefully to give their audiences what they have been asking for is a recurring theme.

In today’s world, what we say follows us wherever we go. How we can form a sentence without thinking about it beforehand is impressive in itself however it does have its pitfalls. We now live in a world where words travel faster than the time it took to say them. Rhetoric is powerful and words are taken very seriously. If we slip up and say the wrong thing, it can come back to haunt us. We see this a lot in politics: media focusing on one phrase of an hour-long speech for example. We see rhetoric being used by the current GOP contenders. One man in contention and currently leading the polls is Donald Trump, who refuses a teleprompter, doesn’t prepare for debates, and somehow comes out on top very frequently in the polls. Then we have the other GOP contenders who seem to have a rehearsed speech that is politically correct and what we have come to understand as the right way to use rhetoric.

Rhetoric in any sense is taken seriously. Words are followed closely only to be picked apart. We are used to seeing this articulate, ornate word play that at least politicians use to dodge questions. Rhetoric is no longer the chosen and articulated word play but is the spontaneous response that someone can come up with, satisfying the needs of the people and influencing opinion.