Sunday, January 13, 2008

The case for eloquence ...

... 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.

1 comment:

  1. 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."

    A belated Happy New year to all, however inelegantly expressed!

    Prof. James Freeman
    BCCC

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