Rhetoric

There are two explanations about rhetoric, a word that originated in ancient Greek and came into our language from French, in the Dictionary of the Turkish Language Institution:

rhetoric;
- The act of speaking well with the art of oratory used in literature
- The branch of science that studies the arts of speech, namely rhetoric.

Rhetoric is an art of speech encountered in literary works and literature. In literary works, rhetoric is used for eloquence and expression. Sometimes rhetoric, which is a work on its own, can sometimes be included in a novel, story or written text, but it is often used in political, legal texts and ceremonial speeches. The language of the scriptures is also rhetorical.

Aristotle, in his work called Rhetoric, defines rhetoric as "the ability to use the means of persuasion in a certain situation". The purpose of rhetoric is to persuade the person or persons, that is, the addressee. Logic is the way of thinking consistently and correctly. However, logical typesetting is not enough for persuasion, but also In this context, we can say that rhetoric is the proper expression of logical words.

In this article, we will talk about the use of rhetoric in texts by giving examples from masterpieces, rather than the stage and philosophical dimension in ancient times. There are important rhetorical texts written in human history. Magna Carta, Defense of Socrates, United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Hz. Muhammad's Farewell Sermon, the American Declaration of Independence, the English Petition of Rights, the Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and Emile Zola's letter that begins with the "I Blame" on the Dreyfus case are among them. The reflection of rhetorical texts, which express every age and historical turns, appears mostly in the form of legal texts. Especially when we evaluate it within the scope of human rights, examples of rhetoric that can be considered as revolutionary texts according to the periods in which they were said are presented below.

The rights expressed for the first time by the English Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, which was declared by the parliament in 1628 by King Charles, were again reminded and made accepted by the king. Written in the spirit of Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights is the most important document that paved the way for Britain to have democratic traditions and a strong parliament today.

"We have dictated to all free people of our kingdom that we and our heirs should have and continue to have all the freedoms listed below."

"No free person shall be arrested, imprisoned, dispossessed, exiled, or subjected to any form of ill-treatment, except by his own members or by a decision made in accordance with the relevant laws of the country."

Farewell Sermon The Prophet of Islam Hz. It is the text of the speeches made by Muhammad against the large Muslim crowds on his first and last pilgrimage, the farewell pilgrimage, in 632. In this last sermon, the Prophet stated that he would not be able to perform pilgrimage again, implied that his death was approaching, and gave important advice to Muslims.

“O people! I don't know, maybe after today I won't be able to meet you here again. May Allah's mercy be upon those who hear and understand my word today! Let those who are here convey these words of mine to those who are not. It may be that the one reported understands and obeys better than the one present here. O people! Know that your Lord is one and your father is one. All humans came from Adam, and Adam was created from dust. There is no superiority of the Arab over the non-Arab, the non-Arab over the Arab, the white over the black, and the black over the white.”

The Greek philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 BC by the decision of the 500s Assembly as a result of the lawsuit brought against him on the charges of "destroying the morals of the youth and irreligiousness". Socrates' defense against the court in Athens was written by Plato. The final part of Socrates' rhetorical speech is as follows:

“There is one more thing I would like to ask of you. If, when my children grow up, Athenians will be more fond of wealth or anything else than virtue, deal with them as I dealt with you, punish them. If they don't care, if they think they're nothing even though they're nothing, scold them just as I scolded you. If you do this, you'll be doing the right thing to me and my sons. Now it's time to leave, let's go our way: I die, you live. Which better? No one knows that but God.”

The famous writer Emile Zola published an open letter regarding the Dreyfus affair of the French army captain, who was unjustly detained in France on charges of espionage in 1894 due to the increasing anti-Semitism. I blame (J'Accuse) The letter written by Emile Zola to the President of the French Republic, Félix Faure, published in the newspaper L'Aurore on 13 January 1898, had a great impact in France and changed the course of the case.

“I will shout this truth to you, honorable man, with all the might of my revolt, Mr. President. Out of respect for your dignity, I believed that you did not know this fact. Besides, to whom was I to report the evil mass of true criminals, and not you, the country's supreme ruler?”

“As for the people I blame; I do not know them, I have never seen them, I have neither grudge nor grudge against them. To me, insignificant beings are nothing but social spirits of evil. The act I am performing here is merely a revolutionary way to hasten the explosion of truth and justice. I have only one passion, the passion for light, for humanity that has suffered so much and deserves happiness. My fiery protest is nothing but the cry of my soul.”

The American Declaration of Independence is the document in which 13 colonies declared their independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was proclaimed by Congress on July 4, 1776. This date is celebrated as Independence Day in the United States every year.

“We are of the opinion that the following facts are clear: all human beings are created equal, God, who created them, has given them certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. governments were established. If any form of government becomes destructive of these aims, it is the right of that people to replace or abolish it and to form a new government, based on principles that would seem most suitable for their own security and well-being, and organizing power and authority for the same purpose.”

Written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels as the program of the Communist League, the first edition of the Communist Manifesto was published in London in February 1848 in 23 pages. Here are his last sentences:

“In short, the communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order. In all these movements, whatever the degree of development at the moment, they bring the property question to the forefront as the main problem of that movement. Finally, they work everywhere for unity and agreement among the democratic parties of all countries. Communists do not deign to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their goals can only be achieved by the forced overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble for fear of a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.”

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is accepted as the most important human rights text of the modern world, is a declaration about the fundamental rights of all people in the world, regardless of race, language or religion. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. 56 countries participated in the committee and 48 of these countries voted positively for the declaration. The Soviet Union, Lebanon, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Saudi Arabia and Ukraine abstained. Turkey is one of the countries that participated in the board and gave positive votes to the declaration. The preamble (preface) is below:

Recognizing the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the basis of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

That the ignorance and contempt for human rights has led to barbaric acts that arouse indignation in the conscience of humanity, and that the emergence of a world where people will be freed from fear and deprivation and have the freedom to speak and believe has been declared as the highest aspiration of ordinary people, against tyranny and oppression. It is important that human rights are protected by the rule of law so that they do not have to revolt as a remedy,

It is important to develop friendly relations internationally,

The peoples of the United Nations, in the Charter of the United Nations, affirm their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the person, in the equality of men and women, and are determined to promote social development and a better standard of living in greater freedom,

Member States, in cooperation with the United Nations, undertake to ensure universal respect and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Considering that having a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is essential for the full realization of this commitment,

The General Assembly proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common measure of success for all peoples and nations;

He is one of those who know the importance of the use of rhetoric best and use it most effectively. He is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. We can easily say that Atatürk is a master of rhetoric. In addition to his rhetorical speeches such as Address to the Youth, Tenth Year Speech, Message to the Turkish Army, rhetorical texts are frequently encountered in the Speech he wrote and read in the Assembly, and in his statements. We will discuss this issue in another article.