Blog 3: Walker on Aristotle

I really appreciated Jeffrey Walker’s assessment of Aristotle’s arguments. The most important aspect if Walker’s evaluation is, in my opinion, that he incorporated several of Aristotle’s texts. Personally, I have only read Aristotle’s Rhetoric and Nicomachean Ethics, but found that having read one was important to a deeper understanding of the other. Of all the topics Walker expanded on, I was especially intrigued by his discussion of technê (85).

Walker describes technê as “techniques of emphasis that lend psychological prominence and memorability—or what Aristotle calls energia” that guide the audience’s attention to a desired “premise”, and keep it there (85). Among the various technê, Walker includes such stylistic devices as iteration, imagery, and rhythm. While reading this section, I found my thoughts drawn to two seemingly relevant topics: (a) a recent personal experience involving the use of technê, and (b) the use of technê in presidential campaign slogans.

What initially drew my attention to this section was a recent experience I had as the trustee of my cooperative house. One of my duties is to hold bi-weekly house meetings. Although the meetings are held on a fairly regular basis, forgetfulness is common reason for failing to attend. To help my housemates remember, I always send out a reminder a few days before the meeting. Normally, the reminder looks something like this: “REMINDER—Mandatory house meeting at 8 pm THIS SUNDAY!” Unfortunately, the reminders never seemed to work. This past week, I decided to take a different approach. This week’s reminder read as follows:

Tomorrow evening

At eight-o-clock

There shall be a meeting

And it shall rock

(Fact.)

So come to the living room

Equipped with a smile

And grab a cozy chair

You'll be there a while!

It was a simple, rather childish poem that took less than 30 seconds to write. Yet, to my amazement, it worked! With the exception of two individuals who had already asked to be excused, the entire house was there. Furthermore, the poem was the topic of conversation as we waited for the last few individuals to arrive. This event brought to my attention what Aristotle had already told me; delivery is important.

Aristotle explains that it is “not enough to know what we ought to say; we must also say it as we ought” (bk. 3, ch. 1, par. 3). Walker expands on this, asserting that it will “never be sufficient for the rhetor merely to declare the ‘premises’” (85). I was attempting to convince my housemates that they should be mindful of the fact that we had a house meeting and that they should feel compelled to be in attendance, but I was only “declaring the premises.” If I wanted my message to be remembered, I needed to make it memorable. My silly rhyming scheme accomplished that.

Presidential campaigns show a remarkable understanding of the usefulness of technê to lend “psychological prominence and memorability” (85), as demonstrated by their use of campaign slogans.

• Dwight Eisenhower used rhyme: I like Ike!
• George W. Bush used alliteration:
• Compassionate conservatism.
• Reformer with results. 
• William Henry Harrison used both rhyme and alliteration: Tippecanoe and Tyler too!
• Bill Clinton used imagery: Building a bridge to the 21^st century.
• Barack Obama used iteration: Yes we can!
• Franklin Pierce used humor: We Polked you in '44, We shall Pierce you in '52

Secondly, if I wanted my housemates to feel compelled to attend, I needed to ensure they sensed something compelling in my argument. To satisfy this point, both the content and structure of the reminder notice suggested that the meeting would be fun: “There shall be a meeting/ And it shall rock.” This was much more effective than including the word “mandatory,” as I had been doing.

Once again, presidential campaign slogans are excellent at providing compelling reasons to vote for a particular candidate. Herbert Hoover, for example, promised “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” This was a very compelling promise, as it was delivered during the Great Depression. In 1956, Eisenhower promised “peace and prosperity,” which were welcome words so soon after World War II. 
I can’t help but be fascinated with Aristotle’s astute observations on the importance of content as well as delivery. It is amazing how changing how you say something can be as effective (or more effective!) than changing what you are saying.