Characters from On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

The Political Rhetorician - This person was primarily concerned with passing a law or otherwise convincing a legislative body of some particular course of action, like signing a treaty or going to war.

The Forensic Rhetorician - This person was concerned with making a case in a court of law in favor or against some person accused of a crime.

The Epideictic Rhetorician - This person's speeches focused on either praising or denouncing some well-known figure.

Sophist - This was a generally derogatory term for a person who abused his argumentative and rhetorical...
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