on rhetoric
No apologies to Aristotle. We can all write “on rhetoric,” can’t we? I mean, we could, if we wanted to. Some of us do. Those of us crazy enough to entertain a PhD in said field; crazy enough to spend an entire day reading assorted writings of Plato and Gorgias and Antiphon.
And speaking of Plato. I was actually cheering him on today. Oh, yes! He made a strong character of Protagoras. One of my all-time favorite speeches in classical Greek speeches that I’ve read so far. Seriously. Finally someone gave it to Socrates good. And Plato wrote it. BEST EVAH.
And that Antiphon. Writing imaginary judicial arguments. Seriously, the boy in the javelin argument wanted to kill himself by running IN FRONT OF A JAVELIN? There must be better ways to die. He killed himself? Oy. Made me laugh out loud at the absurdity of the argument. But it was well done. I give you that (in case you care, 2500 years in the grave).