The Prowess of Oratory Skills

On page 142 of the text, Socrates states; “…I am quite overcome by [the discourse Phaedrus presents]. And this is due to you…because as I looked at you, I saw that you were delighted by the speech as you read.” This shows one of the first instances where the speaker’s own viewpoint can influence what someone else has to view on the matter. This seems important, because Socrates makes a note about the original author further down in this same area of the text; “Are you and I to praise the discourse because the author has said what he ought, and not merely because all the expressions are clear and well rounded and finely tuned?”

Socrates, through Plato’s lens, makes it important to point out that it’s not entirely about what he said, but how he said it. By utilizing proper speech writing skills and creating a strong oratory, and from the passion of Phaedrus, a strong and compelling argument is made towards the notions of friendship and lovers and their roles in our lives. From the standpoint of rhetoric, this demonstrates that your messages cannot simply be something that people feel needs to be said, but that it needs to be written and demonstrated in a way that elegantly illustrates what is the crucial point of the message.

Whenever I write, I try to compose similar to the narration within my head; I write all my papers as if I would give them as a speech, simply because it makes me feel that I am writing a more compelling argument. To see that Socrates and Plato were aware of this during the age of the Greeks simply fascinates me, because it is a major part of rhetoric.