You can’t give a specific answer to a vague question

Alexander Hamilton has recently been addressing certain questions that have been asked concerning the Constitution, Congress, the President, etc. For several of these questions, he has said that he cannot give a precise answer based on the indistinctness of the question. He makes a good point. When answering important questions, it is always best to know exactly what you are answering and to have all of your terms defined. This will prevent any confusion and will allow you to give a definite and intelligent answer.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part XIX: The Conclusion

The conclusion is arguably one of the most important parts of the paper. It arguably exerts the most influence on the reader of a paper, if used correctly. Aristotle says that, in speech, there are four parts to a conclusion:

• Making the audience like you and not like your opponent.
• Magnify or minimize the pertinent facts.
• Create the appropriate emotional reaction in your listeners.
• Refresh their memories about the important points in your speech.

Similarly, there are three parts to a conclusion in writing:

• Restate your contention.
• Refresh your readers minds on your points.
• Make a call to action.

The conclusion is the deciding factor in any speech or paper. It doesn’t matter if you have the best information in the world if you can’t wrap it up well. So, always remember to follow the steps to a good conclusion and your speeches/writing will significantly improve.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part XVIII: Irony Fits the Gentleman

In Rhetoric, Aristotle states that the art of jesting can be of great service to yourself in a disagreement. He references Gorgias (Greek sophist, 485 B.C.- 380 B.C.) who says that you should kill your opponents’ earnestness with jesting and their jesting with earnestness. Either of these options would make your opponent look foolish and unaware of the atmosphere of the situation. However, you must take care that you do not fall victim to this same trap, otherwise you could get into an undesirable situation. Aristotle also gives this advice, “Some (jests) are becoming to a gentleman, others are  not; see that you choose such as become you. Irony better befits a gentleman than buffoonery; the ironical man jokes to amuse himself, the buffoon to amuse other people.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part XVII: Political Oratory

Political oratory, as Aristotle describes it in Rhetoric, is primarily concerned with the future. Hence, when engaged in political rhetoric, one will generally be trying to convince somebody to do or not do something. In extension, this is one of the more difficult rhetorical modes. Nevertheless, mastery of this skill is extremely helpful with any rhetorical endeavor.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part XVI: Narration

The skill of narration is essential to any person engaged in a discussion. When telling the background of your case, you must be able to narrate it well. Otherwise it seems disjointed and difficult to understand. However, if you can narrate well then your story will make sense and, preferably, bolster your point. Also, narrations should typically be short and not encumbered by any unnecessary ramblings.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part XV: Nothing Changes

Aristotle wrote Rhetoric thousands of years ago. The advice that he gives in it should not at all be applicable today. However, the art of Rhetoric has hardly changed at all. It has remained unchanging for thousands of years. This is really important because it means that we have a wealth of applicable information that has not grown out of date.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part XIV: Pay Attention

When you are engaged in a debate against someone, there are a few things that you need to keep your eye out for. First of all, you need to pay attention to whether or not your opponent attempts to incite any prejudice against you or make you look bad. If they do this, then you need to pay special attention to this. This is because if your opponent has placed any obstacles in between you and your audience you must be quick to take them out of the way, then return the favor to your opponent near the end of your speech. Just some friendly back and forth, y’know?

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part XIII: Structure

I do not like writing papers. There are a few reasons why, but it is mainly because I do not like having to follow the directions. I don’t like doing research, then making an outline, the doing my rough draft, etc. However, I realize that these steps are necessary if you want a coherent and well-written paper. There are also necessary steps in the actual writing part of the paper. Aristotle says that in any argument, you need, at bare bones, two things: the Statement of the argument and the actual Argument that you’re saying. In addition to these there are also other parts of a paper, but you cannot have an argumentative paper at all without these.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part XII: What to do when you run out of good material

That moment when you run out of something good to write about. Whether it be that you have no more information on the topic or that the info you have is incredibly dull, that point that you get to is a terror to many writers. In fact, if you do not figure out how to deal with it, it will be terrible to your readers as well. That is why you need to be practiced in filling in information, filling in space, and making a topic out of nothing.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book III, Part IX: A Good Basis

For every art, job, occupation, or hobby that a person partakes in, they must have a good basis. If I try to play soccer at a high level without learning to pass, if I try to do calculus without doing algebra, or even try to write a paper without knowing how to write, nothing good will happen. Even if I know some high level things, like shooting or doing limits or convincing someone of something, without a good basis I will get nowhere. Aristotle appears to have recognized this as well, and has been discussing it a lot lately.