If Aristotle came back (after 2,400 years) to referee last night's debate between vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin (in alphabetical order, you'll notice), Aristotle might say it centered on what he called "ethos" -- i.e. the demeanor and credibilty of the two speakers. Let's start processing the debate by reviewing a tip sheet from Durham Technical Community College on "ethos, pathos and logos" in Aristotle's Rhetoric.
There's a lot of reaction out there, far too much for us to get through in a 50-minute class period ... so let's concentrate on The Washington Post. After all, Washington is a company town.
In the Opinion section of the Post's website (whjich is like an electronic op-ed page), there's a standing feature called "PostPartisan: Quick takes from The Post's opinion writers." Today's quick takes, naturally, are about the debates.
My favorite is by Kathleen Parker, a conservative who agrees with Palin on social issues but questions her readiness to be vice president, if for no other reason than the quality of Parker's writing:
Well, darnit all, if that dadgum girl (wink, wink) didn't beat the tarnation out of Joe Biden. Maverick Sarah Palin fersure surpassed expectations and said everything under the sun, also. And Biden smiled and smiled.Parker added: "I'll have to go to the transcript to figure out what Palin actually said and try to figure out whose facts were right. But there's no question: She won the debate on popularity."
Let's look at all of these reactions, and consider them in light of Aristotlean rhetoric. Sound like fun? Sure, you betcha.
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