You Talkin’ to Me?: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama

Rhetoric gives our words their power to inspire – or bamboozle – others.

But it’s not just for politicians: it’s all around us, whether you’re buttering up a key client or persuading your children to eat their greens. You have been using rhetoric yourself, all your life.

After all, you know what a rhetorical question is, don’t you?

Sam Leith traces the art of argument from ancient Greece to its modern zenith. He introduces verbal villains and heroes from Hitler to Homer Simpson – and the three musketeers: ethos, pathos and logos. He explains how rhetoric works in speeches from Cicero to Richard Nixon (via J-Lo), and pays tribute to the rhetorical brilliance of ‘Buy it, get it, Argos it’. Before you know it, you’ll be confident in chiasmus and proud of your panegyrics – because rhetoric is useful, relevant and absolutely nothing to be afraid of.