Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion

Heinrichs writes a hypothetical short speech that takes place in a town hall meeting where his town’s constituents are deliberating how to reduce noise pollution. He is trying to persuade the town to restrict the use of leaf blowers to certain times of the day; his opponent is arguing against noise ordinance. Here, Heinrichs employs Cicero’s five canons of persuasion in a contemporary setting.

Before writing his speech, Heinrichs needs to decide an approach. This process, invention, is Cicero’s first canon. Heinrichs’s goal is to change the town constituents’ minds. He focuses on deliberative rhetoric since he wants his fellow townspeople to make a choice. With this type of argument, he needs to address values and avoid placing blame for the noise. Heinrichs then needs to determine which specific issue he’s arguing for. He decides the issue is simple: “the town either wants a noise ordinance or it doesn’t” (298). For more complex issues, Cicero recommends breaking them down into smaller questions. Heinrichs then needs to determine his audience’s values. It is also helpful to think about his opponent’s points in order to counter them. Since his neighbors