Readings for Sept. 18th.

I really enjoyed the section about Establishing good character. I believe that Cicero had the right idea about focusing on your character and self, versus pinning your opinion about others. I really liked "Cicero encouraged rhetors to extol their 'merits or worth or virtue of some kind, particularly generosity, sense of duty, justice and good faith.'" By saying this, I think that Cicero had a good hand on the idea of how to win over an audience through your character." (pg. 157) He also suggested that rhetors weaken charges or suspicions that had been cast on their character, and to elaborate on misfortunes or difficulties that had befallen them to strengthen their audience's estimate of their ability to bear suffering." I believe that this is a very good point when it comes to persuading an audience. By sharing personal parts of your life to the audience so they can relate can help make a case for you. I believe that to connect with an audience at an emotional level comes in handy in the long run. That way they can connect with you and understand your side of things.

I also enjoyed the section on securing goodwill. Cicero hits the nail on the head with the first sentence of that paragraph. "If we refer to our own acts and services without arrogance." (pg. 159) By doing so, we avoid our audience tuning us out from the beginning. If you enter modestly with an open mind, yet determined to get your point across, you may be more successful than just going in arrogant. By understanding what the audience already knows, you can help justify your side by providing information that they don't have yet.

I really enjoyed the example of movie reviewers. Their job is to be honest, yet positive so their audience will believe their future reviews. By securing goodwill with your audience, the next time you need to persuade, you will have a more fair chance by keeping a fair reputation. Reputation is all about rhetoric as well. Having a fair and strong reputation, someone that you can rely on, and getting the job is done is very important. A reputation can hold a lot longer than people think, which can dictate how things go in the future. With comes a good reputation, can follow with power.

Overall, what I am trying to say is that being a good person, holding strong morals and values, and seeing the right in the worst possible situations will benefit you long term.