Rhetoric

Although the principles in this work are designed to be flexible, Aristotle clearly designed them with Athenian society in mind. How does the structure of Athenian democracy affect the structure and various elements of Aristotle’s rhetorical method?

Since the purpose of rhetoric is persuasion, this work maintains a constant awareness of the audience and the factors that could persuade them. How does Aristotle characterize the typical Athenian audience? How do his assumptions about them impact his rhetorical method?

How does the Rhetoric, as a work of persuasive argumentation itself, employ Aristotle’s principles of rhetoric in both form and content?