What is rhetoric and prosody? the word rhetoric derives from the greek word rhetor, meaning speaker, and originally referred to the art of public speaking. it i

What is Rhetoric and Prosody? The word rhetoric derives from the Greek word rhetor, meaning speaker, and originally referred to the art of public speaking. It is the study of methods of using language to persuade other people. "Rhetoric" tends to be argumentative wrnting or speech, intended to change people's minds. It can also be defined as the study of the various devices or "turns of language or "figures of speech" that can make language memorable and effective. Necers0fLl Over the last two millennia, the scope and application of rhetoric bhave radically changed, and it has accumulated pmanifold significance through changing literary, intellectual, and social contexts. There are a number of spheres in relation to which the art and cultural practice of rhetoric has achieved articulation: the political sphere, which oversaw the birth of rhetoric; the institution and discipline of philosophy, whose spokesmen have often derbgated rhetoric, placing it below logic and metaphysics; the institution of theology, which at most has placed rhetoric in relation to the expression of divine revelation; the entire sphere of education, in which rhetoric has often assumed a central role, and continues to this day to exert a pervasive influence in the teaching of composition; and, of course, the sphere of literary criticism, which continues to draw from the wellsprings of rhetoric, especially in its focus on languagge. tropes, and the relation between speaker or writer and audience. Thus, rhetoric consists of three components: (a) invention which means rele vant material (b) disposition which implies arrangement of relevant material and (c) style which means choice of words, verbal patterns, sentence structure and rhythms. Prosody refers to the study of meter, or regular patterns of rhythm, especially in poetry. Prosody" is the study of the ways writers use rhythms and meters. It includes linguistic functions like intonation, tone, stress and rhythm For an instance, English poetry often uses "iambic pentameter". 1. Rhetoric The word "rhetoric" derives from the Greek word rhetor, meaning speakerand originally referred to the art of public speaking. This art embraced a broad range of techniques whereby a speaker could compose and arrange the elements of a speech which would be persuasive through its intellectual, emotional, and dramatic appeal to an audience