... When Words Work a Special Magic. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
The reason to study rhetoric is to be able to distinguish between mere eloquence and eloquence put to the service of substance. To have a nice voice, a commanding presence, and a way with words is not enough - it helps to have something to say. And sometimes the fellow who doesn't have such a great voice or a commanding presence or a way with words has precisely that.
Having something heartfelt to say and the burning need to say it is almost always a boon to elegant expression. Perhaps it's a necessary but not sufficient condition to verbal or written elegance, as talent and rich facility with language are needed too... But what a thing of beauty when those factors all come together, such as in the Biblical "Sermon on the Mount."
ReplyDeleteA belated Happy New year to all, however inelegantly expressed!
Prof. James Freeman
BCCC