Rhetoric In Phaedrus The King

In the text Phaedrus, Socrates and Phaedrus consider the nature of the soul in order to assess Lysias' speech, rhetoric in general, and the requirements of good rhetoric for a speaker and an audience. A chariot allegory is given to provide a separation between the rational and impulsive sides of man and suggest the ultimate pursuit of philosophy. Socrates explains the relation of madness to rhetoric by bringing attention to the good gifts that come out of madness, such as the noble lover. There are three lovers discussed throughout Phaedrus that Weaver parallels with the differing ways language can affect us. Through the evaluation of the soul, madness, and lovers, Plato's Phaedrus and Weaver's analysis of Phaedrus, function to provide several

In this type of language, the evil rhetor knows only their own will and works against true understanding and the beloved is weakened. Weaver regards the evil lover as being encompassed by the language of journalism and politics. He discusses techniques that evil lovers often use: keeping the audience's understanding passive, mentioning one side of an issue, obstructs definition of terms and cause-and-effect reasoning. The evil lover is presented as violent, full of selfish appetite, and possessing passion without self-control. In this way, the evil lover is an exploiter and seeks to control the beloved for their own ends. The evil lover tries to make the beloved inferior and keeps the beloved weak and dependent on the evil lover. This kind of lover views oppositions with hostility and keeps the beloved from things that might advance the beloved, such as philosophy. Likewise, evil speakers seek to deceive their audience by using persuasive techniques. In order to be a successful persuader, the speaker must address what is "likely" and understand what is good and bad for the soul and must be able to successfully stimulate the soul of the listener. To achieve this, the speaker must be honest- "true art is truth" (CITE). The speaker must know the truth about what is being disused to make sides of an argument appear similar or dissimilar (263c). The audience has the responsibility to be deciphers of the speakers and

The noble lover attempts to better the audience and bring focus to that of the divine. The noble lover has passion with self control and desires for the beloved's best interest; this kind of love is perceived as a redeemer. The noble lover conquers selfish ambition and puts one's attention towards the divine. The text suggests that to be a good speaker, rhetoric should be grounded in philosophy and truthfully direct the soul of the speaker and audience. With the addition of self-control, it is divine inspiration that leads the lover and beloved towards the good. A rhetorician should be able to exhibit the "essential nature of the soul" (270e). One cannot be a successful orator without knowing the truth and how to acclimate the truth of the natures of others. The text recommends the speaker to be knowledgeable of one's audience- to be aware of the audience's familiarity with the subject and what things set the audience apart. Moreover, the speaker should be conscious of beliefs that may impact the audience's perceptions. The speaker must understand the audience members in order to craft the correct type of speech for the targeted audience. To be influential, the speaker must be able to speak in the correct manner at the correct time. Different types of speeches have different types of affects, and being well-informed of one's audience provides the speaker with information