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"Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men."
"Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend." The word rhetoric has always possessed, even from the time of Ancient Greece, a negative connotation. One cannot refute the power that speech and writing can have over the minds of men, powerful enough to reduce reasonableness to the irrational. However, at Princeton Science Academy, rhetoric plays a much different role. How many great minds have died unknown, their insights unexpressed, because they lacked the means to convey their ideas concisely to the world around them? How many in their everyday lives have lacked the confidence to defend their dreams, principles and actions against an onslaught of denunciations, propaganda and accusations? Rhetoric becomes the tool by which the student may express himself and make decisions for himself. The subject offers an opportunity to build one’s confidence and make known one’s presence. ©2005-2008, Princeton Latin Academy, Inc. |
Rhetoric