Summary
Jens Kjeldsen: What is rhetoric?
We have not lost the word of mouth, far from it. But in our time, we also influence each other through texts, images and music, radio and television shows, YouTube videos, text messages, movies and computer games, tweets and Facebook statuses. Rhetoric no longer includes only the spoken word. Rhetoric is action through communication and is therefore not tied to one particular form of expression, such as speech or writing. If we can achieve the same with images as with words, it doesn't matter whether we use one or the other."
Jens E. Kelsen
Rhetoric is what we all do. It is neither manipulation, nor cheesy expression, nor the conveyance of meaning, although all of these can be used rhetorically. Rhetoric is action through language and communication. It makes other people feel, think, and act in certain ways. Not a day goes by without you trying to influence other people or they you, and therefore not a single day passes without rhetoric. In the book "What is rhetoric?" Jens Kjeldsen, professor of rhetoric in Norway, explains what rhetoric is and why rhetorical insights and abilities are not only a key characteristic of a person, but also of society.
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