After reading the sixth chapter in Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Studies, I
now seem to understand ethos a bit more differently after reading the examples
of Aristotle and Quintilian. Personally, I find that Aristotle’s ideology
contradicts Quintilian’s ideology about ethos. I agree with both of them, and
also disagree with their opinions as well.
Lets begin
with Aristotle. It was stated that he was not concerned with the lifestyle of a
rhetor, but instead with the “appearance of character” they presented. When I
read this idea I became a bit confused. Realistically, how is your character
appearance not a display of the lifestyle one lives? Unless a rhetor is
purposefully trying to confuse her audience the manner in which she presents
herself will be an exemplar of her lifestyle. There is a difference between
showing up for a presentation in shorts and a tank top rather than a suit and
tie. The latter is more professional than the former. One’s power of persuasion
will certainly be affected by their presentation. If one chooses to disregard
his character appearance than it will be a proof of his lifestyle. He will be
seen as a person who does not take himself seriously, at least in my opinion,
and as a result will not be taken seriously or in the manner he wishes.
After my
last post I have come to the conclusion that I am not a fan of Quintilian’s
work. Quintilian’s idea of matching skillful rhetoric with a good character
allowed him to denote “No person can speak well who is not good.” I know I am
not the only one who disagrees with Quintilian’s ideology here. Adolf Hitler,
Joseph Stalin, and Benito Mussolini are three brilliant rhetors that
unfortunately utilized their abilities for evil. Nevertheless, they were
extremely successful. In this case, I believe all three men spoke persuasively,
and yet neither of them was good. You do not have to be good in order to speak
well. In fact, I find it impressing if you are able to speak well and be a villain,
and still be able to convince individuals to follow and agree with your
ideology.
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