Why Rhetoric?
Rhetoric is the art of communicating clearly and effectively. Aristotle, described rhetoric as the ability, in any given situation, to recognize and utilize “the available means of persuasion.” Making this art an object of study originated with the ancient Greeks, and in the Western intellectual tradition it soon took its place as one of the key components of formal education. For more than two millennia, students learned skills associated with effective speaking and writing, and practiced these extensively. It has only been relatively recently – impelled by Modernity’s determination to throw off its intellectual, cultural, and spiritual heritage – that most schools have removed rhetoric from the curriculum.
At Mars Hill we recognize that language is a gift of God, as is the intelligence that enables us to develop the skilled use of it. We embrace the study of rhetoric, as it helps us identify the shared features of all effective communication. What are some of these features that students learn and practice?
- Recognizing what’s appropriate to a particular setting and audience
- Knowing how and when to make appeals to emotion and appeals to reason
- Having “all-purpose” forms of argument at one’s disposal
- Being able to order and arrange the parts of one’s discourse effectively
- Knowing what kinds of words and expressions are suitable and effective
- Utilizing one’s voice, manner, and stance to enhance the content of one’s speech
In giving close attention to such things in their writing and speaking, our students are following in the path of such men as Cicero, Augustine, Martin Luther, George Washington, Winston Churchill, and innumerable other statesmen, writers, and preachers from across the centuries. Even the Old Testament prophets, though “moved by the Holy Spirit” and not their own wills (I Pet. 1:21), utilized language that illustrates rhetorical principles and practices, as did the apostles and our Lord himself.
Just as Latin and logic are not ends in themselves, neither is rhetoric; rather, it is another tool of learning. As students master the use of this tool, they will be better equipped to present the truth, goodness, or beauty of what they have to say, whether making a toast, writing a research paper, teaching a Bible study, presenting a business plan, or proposing legislation. It is a tool for life.
