mmp008's blog

Summary:

In the first book Cicero was technically saying public speaking can be a good thing or a bad thing. It can be helpful by letting people know true information. It has helped many cities be established, it has also help ended wars. But in a negative light it has misinformed people and made them believe in false information. It also has had a negative effect because the men that used eloquence negatively were the ones who usually gained power.

Another part of Cicero’s first book talks about the 3 main subjects of eloquence that there are. The first one is demonstrative which concerns itself with the praise or blame of some particular individual. The second topic is deliberative which is having its place in discussion and in political debate. And the last one is judicial which means to comprehends the topics of accusation and defence; or of demand and refusal.

An important part to rhetoric is the way to present the idea, the divisions are Invention, Arrangement, Elocution, Memory, and Delivery. Invention is the conceiving of topics true or probable. Arrangement is the distribution of topics which have thought up during Invention. Elocution is the adaptation of fitting words and sentences so the piece is interesting. Memory is lasting impression you want to leave in the audience’s mind. And Delivery is the regulating of the voice and body in a appropriate manner.

Reaction:

I found this piece to be super confusing. I had to reread it a couple times just to understand the reading. I think that I found it confusing because it was written long ago and the times have changed. Back then writers used sophisicated words while today most people just use words that everyone can understand.

But I think Cicero is right in the part where he talks about eloquence and how it is used negatively. Even in today’s society, the media and politicans use negative eloquence just to make themselves look good and to get more money.

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, I Have a Dream, he is a great speaker because he is talking about a subject that is passionate to him. I feel to be a good public speaker you have to talk about a topic that is close to your heart. In his speech he has dramatic pauses to build tension and suspense. He also uses carefully selected words and metaphors to paint a picture in the audience’s mind. He also repeats certain words to hint that they are very important to his speech.