Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama

Sam Leith

ISBN 10: 0465096190 / ISBN 13: 9780465096190

Published by Basic Books, United States, 2016

About this Item

In Words Like Loaded Pistols, Sam Leith traces the art of persuasion, beginning in ancient Syracuse and taking us on detours as varied and fascinating as Elizabethan England, Milton's Satanic realm, the Springfield of Abraham Lincoln and the Springfield of Homer Simpson. He explains how language has been used by the great heroes of rhetoric (such as Cicero and Martin Luther King Jr.), as well as some villains (like Adolf Hitler and Richard Nixon.) Words Like Loaded Pistols is a primer to rhetoric's key techniques; you'll find out how to build your own memory-palace; you'll be introduced to the Three Musketeers: Ethos, Pathos and Logos; and you'll learn how to use chiasmus with confidence and occultation without thinking about it. Most importantly of all, you will discover that rhetoric is useful, relevant -- and absolutely nothing to be afraid of. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Seller Inventory # GOR010755751

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama
• Publisher: Basic Books, United States
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0465096190
• ISBN 13: 9780465096190
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 290 grams

About this title

Synopsis

"An entertaining history of great oratory" and a primer to rhetoric's key techniques (The New Yorker).

Rhetoric gives our words the power to inspire. But it's not just for politicians: it's all around us, whether you're buttering up a key client or persuading your children to eat their vegetables. You have been using rhetoric yourself, all your life. After all, you know what a rhetorical question is, don't you?

In Words Like Loaded Pistols, Sam Leith traces the art of argument from ancient Greece down to its many modern mutations. He introduces verbal villains from Hitler to Richard Nixon—and the three musketeers: ethos, pathos and logos. He explains how rhetoric works in speeches from Cicero to Obama, and pays tribute to the rhetorical brilliance of AC/DC's "Back In Black". Before you know it, you'll be confident in chiasmus and proud of your panegyrics— because rhetoric is useful, relevant, and absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

About the Author

Sam Leith is the Literary Editor of The Spectator whose work has appeared in the Times, the Guardian, the TLS, and the New York Times, among other outlets. He is the author of several books, including Write To The Point: How To Be Clear, Correct, and Persuasive on the Page. He lives in London.