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Emotions in Political Rhetoric: Why Does Aristotle Think We Get Angry First and Emulate Last?
Unformatted Document Text:  1 Emotions in Political Rhetoric: Why Does Aristotle Think We Get Angry First and Emulate Last? Marlene K. Sokolon West Texas A&M University ## email not listed ## Aristotle’s discussion of emotions in Book II of the Rhetoric provides modern scholarship with several lingering, but related, dilemmas. One dilemma concerns whether the text is a systematic treatise concerning the rhetorical art or whether it is merely a series of lecture notes on rhetorical technique. 1 A second dilemma revolves around the question of whether the text should be classified, with the Poetics, as a productive art or whether it is more properly a text of politics and ethics. 2 Third, and most relevant for this present discussion, is his discussion of emotions in Book II of the Rhetoric. Is this discussion a systematic analysis of emotions or is Aristotle simply introducing a random list of emotions used by rhetoricians to affect or even warp judgment in rhetorical speech? In other words, is Book II merely a discussion of ways to manipulate emotions without regard to larger questions of justice or truth in political speech? The second two dilemmas are really connected to the question of whether or not Aristotle’s discussion in the Rhetoric is a systematic analysis. If the answer to this question is affirmative, Aristotle’s treatment of the techne or art of persuasion is more than a mere handbook for 1 For examples see William Grimaldi, Aristotle, Rhetoric 1: A Commentary (New York: Fordham University Press, 1980), Mary Margaret McCabe, “Arguments in Context” in Aristotle’s Rhetoric DavidFurley and Alexander Nehamas, editors (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994) 129-165; GeorgeA. Kennedy. “The Composition and Influence of Aristotle’s Rhetoric,” in Essays on Aristotle’s Rhetoric.A.O. Rorty, editor (Berkeley CA: University of California Press, 1996) 416-425; Sara J. Newman“Aristotle’s Definition of Rhetoric in the Rhetoric” Written Communication vol. 18, no. 1 (2001) 3-25. 2 For examples see John Henry Freeze, “Introduction” in Aristotle: the Art of Rhetoric. John Henry Freeze, translator (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1926) xxix-xxxi; George A. Kennedy, “Prooemion”in Aristotle: On Rhetoric. George A. Kennedy, translator (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991) vii-xiii, 12; Stephen Halliwell. “The Challenge of Rhetoric to Political and Ethical Theory in Aristotle” inEssays on Aristotle’s Rhetoric. A.O. Rorty, editor (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1996)175-190.

Authors: Sokolon, Marlene.
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1
Emotions in Political Rhetoric: Why Does Aristotle Think
We Get Angry First and Emulate Last?
Marlene K. Sokolon
West Texas A&M University
## email not listed ##
Aristotle’s discussion of emotions in Book II of the Rhetoric provides modern
scholarship with several lingering, but related, dilemmas. One dilemma concerns whether
the text is a systematic treatise concerning the rhetorical art or whether it is merely a
series of lecture notes on rhetorical technique.
1
A second dilemma revolves around the
question of whether the text should be classified, with the Poetics, as a productive art or
whether it is more properly a text of politics and ethics.
2
Third, and most relevant for this
present discussion, is his discussion of emotions in Book II of the Rhetoric. Is this
discussion a systematic analysis of emotions or is Aristotle simply introducing a random
list of emotions used by rhetoricians to affect or even warp judgment in rhetorical
speech? In other words, is Book II merely a discussion of ways to manipulate emotions
without regard to larger questions of justice or truth in political speech? The second two
dilemmas are really connected to the question of whether or not Aristotle’s discussion in
the Rhetoric is a systematic analysis. If the answer to this question is affirmative,
Aristotle’s treatment of the techne or art of persuasion is more than a mere handbook for
1
For examples see William Grimaldi, Aristotle, Rhetoric 1: A Commentary (New York: Fordham
University Press, 1980), Mary Margaret McCabe, “Arguments in Context” in Aristotle’s Rhetoric David
Furley and Alexander Nehamas, editors (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994) 129-165; George
A. Kennedy. “The Composition and Influence of Aristotle’s Rhetoric,” in Essays on Aristotle’s Rhetoric.
A.O. Rorty, editor (Berkeley CA: University of California Press, 1996) 416-425; Sara J. Newman
“Aristotle’s Definition of Rhetoric in the Rhetoric” Written Communication vol. 18, no. 1 (2001) 3-25.
2
For examples see John Henry Freeze, “Introduction” in Aristotle: the Art of Rhetoric. John Henry Freeze,
translator (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1926) xxix-xxxi; George A. Kennedy, “Prooemion”
in Aristotle: On Rhetoric. George A. Kennedy, translator (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991) vii-
xiii, 12; Stephen Halliwell. “The Challenge of Rhetoric to Political and Ethical Theory in Aristotle” in
Essays on Aristotle’s Rhetoric. A.O. Rorty, editor (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1996)
175-190.


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