Former teacher says learning classical rhetoric can help pupils become better communicators
It has been employed for thousands of years, taking in everything from Julius Caesar writing veni, vidi, vici (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) to Bruce Forsyth greeting fans with “nice to see you, to see you nice”.
Caesar, Forsyth and countless others, from William Shakespeare to Nicki Minaj, have used classical rhetoric, the ancient formula for crafting and delivering persuasive arguments. Now, an academic argues that teaching it in schools would improve the nation’s communication skills no end.
“Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind” – John F Kennedy addressing the UN general assembly in 1961.
“Fair is foul and foul is fair” – the three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
“Nice to see you, to see you nice” – Bruce Forsyth.
“We will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together knowing that we will be free one day” – Martin Luther King in his 1963 I Have a Dream speech
“I came, I saw, I conquered” – Julius Caesar
“I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive. I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise, to fly!” – Nicki Minaj
