Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students

This book gets five starts despite some glaring issues that really distract from the work. First, to call the authors' bias "liberal" is an understatement. They are clearly radical feminists and show clear symptoms of being inflicted with all of the component ailments that go with that condition. The symptoms include constant jumping between both "he" and "she" pronouns, the selection of examples used that tend to show Republicans / conservatives in a bad light and Democrats / liberals in a positive light, and the worship of 0bama. Their bias is clear, and this work makes no attempt to be balanced or neutral. The authors, of course, completely excuse this by making the meta-argument that rhetoric in and of itself is always about persuasion, and their bias serves as a big example of one way rhetoric can be used to persuade. I could go on, but it is safe to say this book is very biased. Now, that being said...**This book is probably the best comprehensive modern book on rhetoric.** (I would bold that last sentence if Amazon wold allow me to.) Quite simply, there is no other book I have found that does a better job of bringing the whole of ancient rhetoric out from the past and presenting it clearly and simply to the modern person. It is clearly a textbook, but one of those few textbooks that manages to be entertaining and engaging while teaching you what you need to learn. The voicing of the book in the first person adds a personal touch, removing the stereotypical stuffiness that tends to come from textbooks. It makes the content easier to read and understand, as you wind up feeling more like you are having a one-on-one discussion with the authors rather than getting lectured to in a large hall. This book compliments quite well Jay Heinrick's book, "Thank You for Arguing." The main difference between the two books is that Mr. Heinrick essentially takes the good ideas and methods from ancient rhetoric and repackages them in a way he thinks is the best way to present them to a modern audience, while this book makes no such attempt. It rather stays true to the original methods of ancient rhetoric and simply explains it in a modern context with modern examples. It contrasts nicely with Mr. Heinrick's approach. (Do not misunderstand me, I also recommend Mr. Heinrick's book, but for different reasons.)Bottom line: this book provided me with a clear set of tools that I can use every day to make my arguments better, and to become a more persuasive speaker and writer. This is a book that I will be referring to for a very long time.

This book has good information on how to form a rhetorical argument, which is why I gave it the three stars. However, the authors could not refrain from putting their own political spin on the issues used to demonstrate the methods, which is why I didn't give it five stars. It is a textbook, not a political commentary. The obvious bias compromises its integrity and that of the authors.

I was assigned this text for an intro class related to my major. I skimmed more chapters than I actually read and still passed all of my assignments. The text itself is rather dull and uninteresting, but there were some pieces that I thoroughly enjoyed. As someone who skimmed the majority of the text, I really appreciated the abundant bold subheadings, the clear table of contents, and the index as well as the glossary. I've had worst texts assigned for classes, but I've also certainly had better.

Needed it for English class :)

I purchased this book used. But it was in awful condition. Stains everywhere. Coffee spills all over the pages and marker scribbles over all the words. Used or not you should only sell books that are at least in semi decent condition.

I bought it but never read it. Probably a good book tho

Cheapest textbook all year. Interesting to be able to understand how news stations are using cheap rhetoric in their reports.

Great buy