Few people can say that John Quincy Adams changed their lives….John Quincy Adams changed my life by introducing me to rhetoric.
The first lines of the book are found in the preface and they exemplify much of what will follow. Needless to say, perhaps, this is a book that teaches the art of rhetoric. The tools of that education are to be found in the past and John Quincy Adams is just the first of many—many—figures from history (both real and fictional) whom the author brings into the world of 21st century technology, culture and rhetorical necessity.
You can combine deduction and induction to make an especially strong argument. In this case, your proof has two parts: examples and premise. Once again, we can Homer Simpson’s logical pyrotechnics for illustration.
HOMER: I’m not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love you apply to my kids. So why should I spend half my Sunday the choice hearing about how I’m going to hell?
A perfect example the author’s approach is demonstrated here. Perhaps some might it surprising to come across a Homer Simpson quote in an educational book about the tools rhetoric, but if so, prepared to be even more surprised: the author devotes an entire chapter to what can be learned from Homer. And Homer quotes populate the book as dead-perfect examples of the art of persuasion. In Homer’s case, of course, the examples are usually provided as tools for how to counter persuasion that is not based on logic; that, in fact, runs counter to face, but is nevertheless effective or the purpose of persuasion.
TRY THIS WITH A BAD EMPLOYEE
If you’re angry at an underling—say, caught him badmouthing higher-ups—call him into your office and keep your heat inside. Speak more softly than usual, don’t gesture with your hands, and let your eyes betray your cold fury. The overall effect can terrify the most blasé employee.
One of the most effective techniques by the author to convey his point is a series of sidebars on each page that spell out things like ARGUMENT TOOL, PERSUSASION ALERT and TRY THIS WITH _____. The “try this” is especially effective as it demonstrates through specific examples how to implement the argument tool and the method of persuasion being discussed within the actual text.
At some vague point in history, some bad guys theoretically used strong-smelling smoked herrings to throw dogs off their scent. Hence the name of this fallacy, in which the speaker deliberately brings up an irrelevant issue. But since no one even knows what a red herring is, a more common name is sneaking into the lexicon: the Chewbacca defense, named after a South Park episode.
Again, the primary point of the book is to bring ancient rhetorical weapons into the 21st century. Many of these devices have names which are commonly used and tossed about as if everyone were familiar with them—Straw Man, tautology, reductio ad absurdum—and, in this case, red herring. While many may know what a red herring means within the context of a mystery story, it may not be so easy to translate that specific meaning into the world of rhetorical argument. So the author introduces a new frame of reference for many such terms which will be more familiar and understandable to those raised on 20th century pop culture references and allusions. In this case, two difference references: Star Wars and South Park.
