Don't Leave Me Tongue-Tied (Book Review)
4 Pages Posted: 22 Oct 2014
Date Written: October 20, 2014
Abstract
Many scholars have written about the links between classical rhetoric, modern legal argument, and the teaching of law. However, it has always seemed like a long road from Aristotle’s canons of rhetoric to a courtroom’s podium. Tongue-Tied America, by Robert N. Sayler and Molly Bishop Shadel, helps us navigate that very path. The book serves as both a primer on classical rhetoric and a field guide for law students and lawyers planning oral presentations, whether formal or informal.
The book starts by explaining some Aristotelean basics, such as ethos, logos, and pathos; it neatly breaks down classical rhetoric into a digestible, useful set of principles. It then shows how rhetorical principles were used in specific political speeches and how speakers can, in turn, use them to refine their own speeches and presentations.
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