1. Rhetorical devices Studying rhetoric 1. Defining and describing rhetoric 2. Rhetorical devices in practice (Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech) 3. Discussion

2. Defining “rhetoric” With a partner, discuss the following: How might you define the term “rhetoric”? Should we talk about “rhetoric” or “rhetorics”? How are rhetoric and discourse related?

3. Defining rhetoric Lundford et al. (2009: xix): Among the many issues facing our field of study, the long- standing debate over the nature, function, and scope of rhetoric continues to loom large. Rhetoric has been viewed as the “counterpart” of dialectic (Aristotle), as the art of speaking well (Quintilian), as the purview of elocution and pronunciation alone (Ramus), as the study of misunderstandings (Richards), as the “symbolic means of inducing cooperation in beings that by nature respond to symbols” (Burke, 1969, p. 43), and as “hot air” or deceptive practices (Plato, Chaucer, Locke, and a host of others)

4. Defining rhetoric Silva Rhetorica, “What is rhetoric”?: Rhetoric is the study of effective speaking and writing. And the art of persuasion. And many other things.... A basic premise for rhetoric is the indivisibility of means from meaning; how one says something conveys meaning as much as what one says. Rhetoric studies the effectiveness of language comprehensively, including its emotional impact, as much as its propositional content. http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm

5. Defining rhetoric With a partner, please discuss the following: What are rhetorical devices? Can you list some examples? Now, try to define and/or give examples of the rhetorical devices on the handout

6. Rhetorical devices in practice Martin Luther King “I have a dream” August 28, 1963 YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs

7. Rhetorical devices in practice With a partner, take a look at the text of King’s speech and consider the following: How has the speech been structured? What rhetorical devices do you see in the speech? What function(s) do these devices serve?

8. Thinking critically about the readings With a partner, take a look at the two readings and determine: -The research question/thesis -The methodology -The conclusions -Does the research approach seems sound? Do you see any drawbacks/limitations/advantages to the method used?

9. Discussion related to the readings In his conclusions, Sharifian remarks that: it is obvious that extreme caution needs to be exercised when translating and interpreting figurative language from one language to another. Of course, this statement assumes that the goal of those involved in this process is not to deliberately manipulate language in order to distort the picture and justify certain actions. (2009: 429) Is it possible to translate without manipulating the text, and should manipulation always be viewed negatively? How does this affect the ethics of translation?

10. Discussion related to the readings Shunnaq (2000) often argues that “the English translation does not have the same impact as the Arabic text” (223) because the emotion inherent in the ST has been reduced. How might one assess the impact of a translation? Based on Shunnaq’s study, how do you think rhetorical devices help us analyze translation?

11. Rhetoric and our theoretical frameworks How could we adopt a rhetorical approach to studying translated narratives? How could we combine rhetoric and content analysis?

12. References Hatim, Basil & Ian Mason. (1990). Discourse and the Translator. New York: Longman. Lunsford, Andrea A, Kirt H. Wilson & Rosa A. Eberly, eds. (2009). The SAGE Handbook of Rhetorical Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Sharifian, Farzad. (2009). Figurative language in international political discourse. Journal of Language and Politics 8(3): 416-432. Shunnaq, Abdullah. (2000). Arabic-English Translation of Political Speeches. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology 8(3): 207-227.