Socrates Rhetorical Analysis

Socrates Use of Rhetoric to Persuade an Audience

In Gorgias, Plato`s dialogue on rhetoric, the crowd watching the debate between Socrates and Gorgias played a major role in the way the debate was processed by both of them. Gorgias tried to prove that rhetoric was the ultimate skill related to all expertise; and targeted the audience to promote himself as a rhetorician that can teach that powerful skill. Socrates used different technics to appeal to the same audience in order to connect with them; and persuade them that Gorgias views on rhetoric were wrong and probably ruin his career. Even though Socrates arguments were in opposition of rhetoric, he used three elements of persuasion known now as “Rhetorical appeals”; which allowed him to

And as Gorgias was being interrogated, his focus was shifted toward answering Socrates closed ended questions by a short Yes or No instead of placing emphasis on other answers that could have helped him win the debate. However, his short answers were used against him, by Socrates: “I`m really Impressed with your answers, Gorgias. I can`t imagine how they could be shorter” (Plato 5). At that moment Socrates was saying something that he didn`t mean. He wasn`t really impressed by Gorgias short answers or couldn`t imagine how they could be shorter. He was using a verbal irony with the intention of mocking Gorgias. Not only he wanted to get Gorgias emotionally confused and ashamed but he wanted to get the crowd to laugh at him. He had a sarcastic attitude to appeal to the audience by entertaining it, and eventually get an emotional reaction from it to gain an advantage in the debate. He made the crowd feel amused and relieved by laughing and releasing the tension of the argument. The rhetorical strategy used here by Socrates is Pathos, a method called Pathetic appeal which is the attempt of persuasion, by making an audience feeling certain