Both Sides Now
I promise not to talk about politics. Instead I’m going to free-fall into paradox and quantum physics. But if you’ve been listening to the finer (original) convention speeches in the last two weeks, you have been party to the power of language, the slick pronoun pick (the intimate I, the confrontational you, the inclusive we) and the abiding nature of voice. You will have completed a crash course in Aristotle’s three appeals – logos, ethos and pathos – not to mention the synergy of three, the logic of twos and the essential nature of one. And you’ve probably figured out the most potent sentence turns out not to be the choreographed multi-clause sentence increasing in intensity, filled with proofs and turns of phrase, but the shortest one, especially when it follows the longest one. Brief – and straight to the heart. You will also realize a compelling argument (or story) lies not in abstract generalities and vagueness. Specific, definite, concrete language and sensory details echo long after the balloons drop. Ah, the art of persuasion. Read More »