Table of Contents
Lecture 1 – Introduction of Political Rhetoric.........................................................................................3
1.1 The history of rhetoric..................................................................................................................4
1.2 Politics vs. the political..................................................................................................................6
Lecture 2 – Classical rhetoric, discovery and arrangement....................................................................8
2.1 What are the occasions, branches or genres of speech (Aristotle)...............................................8
2.2 Occasions of speech......................................................................................................................8
2.3 The issue.......................................................................................................................................8
Lecture 3 – Classical rhetoric, Style and delivery, and Rhetorical political analysis..............................12
3.1 Classical rhetoric.........................................................................................................................12
3.4 Delivery.......................................................................................................................................15
3.5 Rhetorical political analysis (RPA)...............................................................................................15
Lecture 4 - Mass media and rhetoric....................................................................................................17
4.1 The mediatization of politics.......................................................................................................17
4.2 The media’s ambiguous role.......................................................................................................17
4.3 What is news?.............................................................................................................................17
4.4 Why do politicians adapt?..........................................................................................................18
4.5 The rhetoric of politicians...........................................................................................................18
4.6 The rhetoric of mass media........................................................................................................19
4.7 Media: curse or blessing for political rhetoric............................................................................20
Lecture 5 – Emotions and incivility.......................................................................................................22
5.1 Democracy, an emotional business............................................................................................22
5.2 Deliberative democracy..............................................................................................................22
5.3 Neuroscience..............................................................................................................................23
5.4 Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud).................................................................................................24
5.5 Incivility in politics......................................................................................................................24
5.6 Is emotional rhetoric a curse or blessing?..................................................................................25
5.7 Exam question............................................................................................................................25
Lecture 6 – Populist rhetoric................................................................................................................26
6.1 What is populism?......................................................................................................................26
Lecture 7 – Gender & rhetoric..............................................................................................................31
7.1 History of gendered speech........................................................................................................31
7.2 Inequality in the media:..............................................................................................................31
7.3 Politics is not gender neutral?....................................................................................................31
7.4 Jacinda Ardern as an example for female politicians..................................................................32
1
, 7.5 Feminism and rhetoric................................................................................................................33
7.6 Conclusions of gender roles as rhetorical means to persuade....................................................34
Lecture 8 – The politics of climate children..........................................................................................35
8.1 Child as a political subject...........................................................................................................35
8.2 Children as political object..........................................................................................................36
8.3 Other thinkers of children in politics..........................................................................................36
8.4 Comparison between the speech of Suzuki and Greta...............................................................36
Lecture 9 – Visual rhetoric....................................................................................................................38
9.2 The advantages of visuals for politicians....................................................................................38
9.3 Image as argument.....................................................................................................................39
9.4 The psychology of visuals............................................................................................................40
9.5 Journalistic bias in the visuals?...................................................................................................40
Lecture 10 – Deliberative democracy...................................................................................................41
10.1 What is politics?........................................................................................................................41
10.2 The problem of democratic practices.......................................................................................41
10.3 Issues with non-electoral participation.....................................................................................42
10.4 Deliberative democracy as a solution.......................................................................................43
2
,Lecture 1 – Introduction of Political Rhetoric
The importance of political rhetoric:
There is no politics without persuasion:
- politicians try to persuade us
- we try to persuade politics
- we try to persuade each other
Why do we need to persuade others/ourselves?
there is uncertainty in this world f.e.: inequality that needs to be changed, that needs to be in the
world?
Persuasion by speech vs persuasion by force:
By Perloff: “a symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their
own attitudes or behaviours regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an
atmosphere of free choice”
free choice is important
het is vrijwilliger dan bij force: men kiest zelf of men overhaalt wilt worden
men hecht meer belang aan het overhalen zonder kracht (ook als het ondemocratische landen
zijn)
By Mutz: “Democracy . . . is distinguished as a form of governance by the extent of persuasion
relative to coercion”
Dus: overtuiging met het spreken is de fundamentele politieke skill
What is rhetoric?
From Greek: retoriketekhne
with: rhetor = speaker
tekhne = art
Rhetoric
= learning the practical skills of persuasion
= studying the persuasiveness of speech (more an analysis of speech)
Rhetoric is not limited to the spoken word (oratory), but is also written words, visuals, the context…
Political rhetoric
= persuasion in the political realm
= not limited to politicians, but everyone who functions as political actors
f.e: Steven van Gucht als politieke actor die zeer overtuigend was tijdens de coronacrisis omdat hij
als enige wist hoe hij de situatie moest aanpakken
Main question: What makes a political speech persuasive (or not)?
f.e: the speech of Martin Luther King – I have a dream
Background: 100 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln
Some persuasive elements: he has hope for the future, repetitions, powerful worlds, metaphors,
charisma, tries to create a group te reach out to others, addresses everyone (white, black, children,
Americans…), singing intonations…
Is political rhetoric a diverse research field?
different backgrounds with different questions
3
, in: linguistics with rhetorical figures…
psychology with emotions vs the cognitive
political science with the questions of power
communication science with mass media
each has their own terminology and research methods
!!! but they don’t always talk to each other, so a lot is different and mismatched
so: eclectic approach of this topic
Rhetoric as a contested notion:
Dus: rhetoric is vaak geassocieerd met de onwaarheid, een contrast met de werkelijkheid
with empty promises
everyone can be persuaded with misinformation, leads to violence….
But: there is no democracy without free speech
1.1 The history of rhetoric
Rhetoric in Greece 500 BC
from aristocracy to democracy
with: demos = people
ekklesia = assembly
only the rich people of people with a certain standing, but it comes with obligations (men moet
participeren in de samenleving)
rhetorical skills were important: to defend yourself in court, so persuade people to vote…
with sophists as teachers like Gorgias, Protagoras….
- Sophos = wisdom
culture of oral transmission
different views of classical thinkers
Plato:
= had Socrates as a teacher who was reasonable and good and had to drink the poison
rhetoric can persuade most people of anything it can do bad instead of good
Belief in one moral ‘truth’
- allegory of the cave
- only the ones who are wise enough can see the things and concepts in it’s pure form (only a small
elite)
the society should be led by such man: philosopher-kings (other are guardians and traders)
ideology comes for rhetoric
- dialectic method as a more sympathic reading:
argument for alternative type of rhetoric: men heeft verschillende meningen en moet komen
naar de beste oplossing door of te overtuigen of samen te leggen
Criticism by Popper: men verdedigt enkel een kleine groep van mensen die iets kunnen zeggen
(kleine elite), de ander kunnen niks doen in de samenleving
Aristotle:
= student of Plato
More positive reading of rhetoric:
a man is like a ‘political animal’
‘good life’ is life in accordance with the community
4
Lecture 1 – Introduction of Political Rhetoric.........................................................................................3
1.1 The history of rhetoric..................................................................................................................4
1.2 Politics vs. the political..................................................................................................................6
Lecture 2 – Classical rhetoric, discovery and arrangement....................................................................8
2.1 What are the occasions, branches or genres of speech (Aristotle)...............................................8
2.2 Occasions of speech......................................................................................................................8
2.3 The issue.......................................................................................................................................8
Lecture 3 – Classical rhetoric, Style and delivery, and Rhetorical political analysis..............................12
3.1 Classical rhetoric.........................................................................................................................12
3.4 Delivery.......................................................................................................................................15
3.5 Rhetorical political analysis (RPA)...............................................................................................15
Lecture 4 - Mass media and rhetoric....................................................................................................17
4.1 The mediatization of politics.......................................................................................................17
4.2 The media’s ambiguous role.......................................................................................................17
4.3 What is news?.............................................................................................................................17
4.4 Why do politicians adapt?..........................................................................................................18
4.5 The rhetoric of politicians...........................................................................................................18
4.6 The rhetoric of mass media........................................................................................................19
4.7 Media: curse or blessing for political rhetoric............................................................................20
Lecture 5 – Emotions and incivility.......................................................................................................22
5.1 Democracy, an emotional business............................................................................................22
5.2 Deliberative democracy..............................................................................................................22
5.3 Neuroscience..............................................................................................................................23
5.4 Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud).................................................................................................24
5.5 Incivility in politics......................................................................................................................24
5.6 Is emotional rhetoric a curse or blessing?..................................................................................25
5.7 Exam question............................................................................................................................25
Lecture 6 – Populist rhetoric................................................................................................................26
6.1 What is populism?......................................................................................................................26
Lecture 7 – Gender & rhetoric..............................................................................................................31
7.1 History of gendered speech........................................................................................................31
7.2 Inequality in the media:..............................................................................................................31
7.3 Politics is not gender neutral?....................................................................................................31
7.4 Jacinda Ardern as an example for female politicians..................................................................32
1
, 7.5 Feminism and rhetoric................................................................................................................33
7.6 Conclusions of gender roles as rhetorical means to persuade....................................................34
Lecture 8 – The politics of climate children..........................................................................................35
8.1 Child as a political subject...........................................................................................................35
8.2 Children as political object..........................................................................................................36
8.3 Other thinkers of children in politics..........................................................................................36
8.4 Comparison between the speech of Suzuki and Greta...............................................................36
Lecture 9 – Visual rhetoric....................................................................................................................38
9.2 The advantages of visuals for politicians....................................................................................38
9.3 Image as argument.....................................................................................................................39
9.4 The psychology of visuals............................................................................................................40
9.5 Journalistic bias in the visuals?...................................................................................................40
Lecture 10 – Deliberative democracy...................................................................................................41
10.1 What is politics?........................................................................................................................41
10.2 The problem of democratic practices.......................................................................................41
10.3 Issues with non-electoral participation.....................................................................................42
10.4 Deliberative democracy as a solution.......................................................................................43
2
,Lecture 1 – Introduction of Political Rhetoric
The importance of political rhetoric:
There is no politics without persuasion:
- politicians try to persuade us
- we try to persuade politics
- we try to persuade each other
Why do we need to persuade others/ourselves?
there is uncertainty in this world f.e.: inequality that needs to be changed, that needs to be in the
world?
Persuasion by speech vs persuasion by force:
By Perloff: “a symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their
own attitudes or behaviours regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an
atmosphere of free choice”
free choice is important
het is vrijwilliger dan bij force: men kiest zelf of men overhaalt wilt worden
men hecht meer belang aan het overhalen zonder kracht (ook als het ondemocratische landen
zijn)
By Mutz: “Democracy . . . is distinguished as a form of governance by the extent of persuasion
relative to coercion”
Dus: overtuiging met het spreken is de fundamentele politieke skill
What is rhetoric?
From Greek: retoriketekhne
with: rhetor = speaker
tekhne = art
Rhetoric
= learning the practical skills of persuasion
= studying the persuasiveness of speech (more an analysis of speech)
Rhetoric is not limited to the spoken word (oratory), but is also written words, visuals, the context…
Political rhetoric
= persuasion in the political realm
= not limited to politicians, but everyone who functions as political actors
f.e: Steven van Gucht als politieke actor die zeer overtuigend was tijdens de coronacrisis omdat hij
als enige wist hoe hij de situatie moest aanpakken
Main question: What makes a political speech persuasive (or not)?
f.e: the speech of Martin Luther King – I have a dream
Background: 100 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln
Some persuasive elements: he has hope for the future, repetitions, powerful worlds, metaphors,
charisma, tries to create a group te reach out to others, addresses everyone (white, black, children,
Americans…), singing intonations…
Is political rhetoric a diverse research field?
different backgrounds with different questions
3
, in: linguistics with rhetorical figures…
psychology with emotions vs the cognitive
political science with the questions of power
communication science with mass media
each has their own terminology and research methods
!!! but they don’t always talk to each other, so a lot is different and mismatched
so: eclectic approach of this topic
Rhetoric as a contested notion:
Dus: rhetoric is vaak geassocieerd met de onwaarheid, een contrast met de werkelijkheid
with empty promises
everyone can be persuaded with misinformation, leads to violence….
But: there is no democracy without free speech
1.1 The history of rhetoric
Rhetoric in Greece 500 BC
from aristocracy to democracy
with: demos = people
ekklesia = assembly
only the rich people of people with a certain standing, but it comes with obligations (men moet
participeren in de samenleving)
rhetorical skills were important: to defend yourself in court, so persuade people to vote…
with sophists as teachers like Gorgias, Protagoras….
- Sophos = wisdom
culture of oral transmission
different views of classical thinkers
Plato:
= had Socrates as a teacher who was reasonable and good and had to drink the poison
rhetoric can persuade most people of anything it can do bad instead of good
Belief in one moral ‘truth’
- allegory of the cave
- only the ones who are wise enough can see the things and concepts in it’s pure form (only a small
elite)
the society should be led by such man: philosopher-kings (other are guardians and traders)
ideology comes for rhetoric
- dialectic method as a more sympathic reading:
argument for alternative type of rhetoric: men heeft verschillende meningen en moet komen
naar de beste oplossing door of te overtuigen of samen te leggen
Criticism by Popper: men verdedigt enkel een kleine groep van mensen die iets kunnen zeggen
(kleine elite), de ander kunnen niks doen in de samenleving
Aristotle:
= student of Plato
More positive reading of rhetoric:
a man is like a ‘political animal’
‘good life’ is life in accordance with the community
4
