Gestern wurde das Churchill Archiv, eine Sammlung digitalisierter
historischen Dokumente
online
für das Publikum geöffnet.
Darunter befindet sich ein getipptes Manuscript "The Scaffolding of Rhetorik",
das Churchill 1897 geschrieben hat. Es kommentiert darin Techniken beim
öffentlichen Reden. Zwei Zitate:
Von allen Gaben, die ein Mensch haben kann, ist keines so wertvoll
wie die Kunst des Redens.
Rhetorische Stärke wird einem nicht in die Wiege gelegt, noch
kann man sie vollständig erlernen. Sie muss kultiviert werden.
Letzteres heisst, dass man auch als begabter und trainierter Redner sich
immer wieder vorbereiten muss.
Das Manuscript [PDF]
The Scaffolding of Rhetoric
by Winston S. Churchill Article by WSC on the power of oratory and the variety of techniques that
can enhance a speaker's art. Includes observation that
"Sometimes a slight and not unpleasing stammer or impediment has
been of some assistance in securing the attention of the audience."
Annotated in manuscript with changes by WSC,
apparently at various stages. Catalogue CHAR 8/13/1-13, 1897
Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift
of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of
a great king. He is an independent force in the world.
Abandoned by his party, betrayed by his friends, stripped of his
offices, whoever can command power is still formidable. Many have
watched its effects. A meeting of grave citizens, protected by all the
cynicism of these prosaic days, is unable to resist its influence. From
unresponsive silence they advance to grudging approval and thence to
complete agreement with the speaker. The cheers become louder and more
frequent; the enthusiasm momentarily increases; until they are convulsed
by emotions they are unable to control and shaken by passions of which
they have resigned the direction.
It is however freely written and frequently remarked that the day of
oratory is passing. The newspaper report and the growing knowledge of
men have, it is said, led to the decline of rhetoric. Now no rhetorician
would be likely to admit that his art had lost its powers, and if this
proposition be generally affirmed, the conclusion follows that there
are at present no orators. But it by no means follows that the future
will be equally barren. There was once a party in the state that thought
that the power of personality in politics was a thing of the past, that
took as a motto "Measures not Men", and forthwith proceeded to blindly
follow a great man for thirty years. Human weakness appears to be one
of the few unvarying features of life and we are convinced that those
primary forces which from earliest antiquity have appealed to men will
continue to influence their actions. The sentimental and emotional
parts of the human mind will even derive new vigor from the spread of
education and the easiness of intercourse. Nor does this belief depend
on speculation alone. The people of the United States of America are more
highly educated than any other great community in the world. Whatever can
add to the improvement of the individual - whether by material inventions
or political institutions is there found in greater proportion than
elsewhere. In no country does so great a volume of educated public opinion
exists and yet in no country is the influence of oratory so great marked.
The nature of so great and permanent a force may well claim and has
often received careful investigation. Is it born or acquired? Does it
work for good or ill? Is it real or artificial? Such are the questions
that philosophers from the days of Aristotle have revolved. Nor do
they remain unanswered. And yet, with respect to the oratory of
the English speaking peoples, there is room for further inquiry.
It appears that there are certain elements inherent in all rhetoric:
that there are certain features common to all the finest speeches in the
English language. In painting partly mechanical arrangements of color
give pleasure to the eye. In music certain combinations of chords and
discords are agreeable to the ear. And the art of oratory has also its
"values" and its "thorough base" and this technique it is the ambitious
aim of this article to examine. As the analysis proceeds we shall observe
that rhetorical power is neither wholly bestowed or wholly acquired, but
cultivated. The peculiar temperament and talents of the orator must be
his by nature. Their development is encouraged by practice. The orator
is real. The rhetoric is partly artificial. Partly, but not wholly;
for the nature of the artist is the spirit of his art, and much that
appears to be the result of study is due to instinct. If we examine
this strange being by the light of history we shall discover that he is
in character sympathetic, sentimental and earnest: that he is often as
easily influenced by others as others are by him. Indeed the orator is
the embodiment of the passions of the multitude. Before he can inspire
them with any emotion he must be swayed by it himself. When he would
rouse their indignation his own heart is filled with anger.
Before he can move their tears his own must flow. To convince them he
must himself believe. His opinions may change as their impressions fade,
but every orator means what he says at the moment he says it. He may be
often be inconsistent. He is never consciously insincere.
The dominion of matter over Mind, her rebellious slave, is in this state
of human development almost absolute: nor can we proceed with this inquiry
without briefly considering the indispensable physical attributes of the
orator. First of all a striking presence is a necessity. Often small,
ugly or deformed he is invested with a personal significance, which
varying in every case defies definition.
Sometimes a slight and not unpleasing stammer or impediment has been of
some assistance in securing the attention of the audience, but usually a
clear and resonant voice is the vehicle of gives expression his thoughts.
The direct, though not the admitted, object which the orator has in
view is to allay the commonplace influences and critical faculties of
his audience, by presenting to their imaginations a series of vivid
impressions which are replaced before they can be too closely examined
and vanish before they can be assailed. The following appear to be the
six principal elements by which this object is attained.
I. Correctness of diction
Knowledge of a language is measured by the nice and exact appreciation of
words. There is no more important element in the technique of rhetoric than
the continual employment of the best possible word. Whatever part of speech
it is it must in each case absolutely express the full meaning of the
speaker. It will leave no room for alternatives. Words exist in virtue
of no arbitrary rule but have been evolved by the taste and experience
of mankind and the instinct of language in implanted very deeply in the
human character. There are few audiences so ignorant as to be incapable
of admiring correct diction - for even if they have never heard the word
before - they will, if it be rightly used understand its meaning. The
Scotch have been described as a "stern and dour" folk. "Dour" is a rare
and uncommon word: but what else could it convey to the Anglo Saxon mind
than the character of the people of a cold, gray land, severe, just,
thrifty and religious. So powerful indeed is the fascination of correct
expression that it not only influences the audience, but sometimes even
induces the orator, without prejudice to his sincerity, to adapt his
principles to his phrases.
The unreflecting often imagine the effects of oratory are produced by
the use of long words. The error of this idea will appear from what has
been written. The shorter words of a language are the most usually those
usually the more ancient. Their meaning is more ingrained in the national
character and they appeal with greater force to simple understandings
than words more recently introduced from the Latin and the Greek. All
the speeches of great English rhetoricians - except when addressing
highly cultured audiences display an uniform preference for short,
homely words of common usage - so long as such words can fully express
their thoughts and feelings. It suffices to mention as a famous example
the name of John Bright. Indeed the great sayings of most countries have
been expressed in aboriginal words. "Wir fauchte in allein Gott" said
Bismarck, and thereby gave an impulse to the German nation of which the
end is not yet has not yet died away. What can be more simple? The words
employed are all among those that the human mind would earliest evolve.
II Rhythm
The great influence of sound on the human brain is
well known. The sentences of the orator when he appeals to his art become
long, rolling and sonorous. The peculiar balance of the phrases produces
a cadence which resembles blank verse rather than prose. It would be easy
to multiply examples since nearly every famous peroration in the English
language might be quoted. We prefer to allude only to the opening lines
of Dr. Johnsons's "Rasselas" as a remarkable instance of correctness of
diction and rhythm - which in a speech could not have failed to produce
a tremendous effect upon an audience.
IV Accumulation of Argument
The climax of oratory is reached by a rapid succession of waves of sound
and vivid pictures. The audience is delighted by the changing scenes presented
to their imagination. Their ear is tickled by the rhythm of his the
language. The enthusiasm rises. A series of facts is brought forward
all pointing in a common direction. The end appears in view before it
is reached. The crowd anticipate the conclusion and the last words fall
amid a thunder of assent.
V. Analogy
The affection of the mind for argument by analogy may afford a fertile
theme to the cynical philosopher.
The ambition of human beings to extend their knowledge favors the belief
that the unknown is only an extension of the known: that the abstract
and concrete are fated ruled by similar principles: that the finite
and the infinite are homogeneous. An apt analogy connects or appears
to connect these distant spheres. It appeals to the everyday knowledge
of the hearer and invites him to decide the problems that have baffled
his powers of reason by the standard of the nursery and the hearth.
Argument by analogy leads to conviction rather than to proof, and has
often led to glaring error.
The methods by which Socrates overcame Thrasymmachus will rather excite
our admiration then compel our assent. We are irresistibly reminded of
the schoolboy's proof of the insignificance of falsehood: - "A lie is
a story, a story is a tale, a tail is a brush" and so on.
In spite of the arguments of the cynic the influence exercised over the
human mind by apt analogies is and has always been immense. Whether
they translate an established truth into simple language or whether
they adventurously aspire to reveal the unknown, they are among the
most formidable weapons of the rhetorician. The effect upon the most
cultivated audience is electrical. They (Frontier wars) are but the
surf that marks the edge and advance of the wave of civilization."
(Lord Salisbury. Guildhall) reference Date! "Our rule in India is, as
it were, a sheet of oil spread over and keeping free from storms a vast
and profound ocean of humanity." (Lord Randolph Churchill.) reference on
this point see Schopenhauer x Republic. Book II. "A strong nation may
no more be confiding of its liberties than a pure woman of her honour."
(Bishop of Derry. Albert Hall, 1892) "....... whose (Wilkes' companions)
morals were in no more danger of being corrupted by a loose book than
a negro of being tanned by a warm sun." (Lord Macaulay. Essay on the
Earl of Chatham.)
It is impossible to imagine any form of argument that could keep the
field in the face of these or similar analogies One such will make
a speech or mar a measure. VI. A tendency to wild extravagance of
language - to extravagance so wild that reason recoils is evident in most
perorations. The emotions of the speaker and the listeners are alike
aroused and some expression must be found that will represent all they
are feeling. This usually embodies in an extreme form the principles they
are supporting. Thus Mr Pitt wishing to eulogize the freedom possessed by
Englishmen: "The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the
forces of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may
blow through it; the storms may enter, the rain may enter - but the King
of England cannot enter! All his forces dare not cross the threshold
of the ruined tenement." (Earl of Chatham. Speech on the Excise Bill)
or Mr Bryan anxious to display the superiority of a silver over a gold
standard: - "You shall not press a crown of thorns upon the brow of
labor or crucify humanity on a cross of gold." (Mr Bryan. Speech. 1896)
The effect of such extravagances on a political struggle is
tremendous. They become the watchwords of parties and the creeds of
nationalities. But upon the audience the effect is to reduce pressure as
when a safety valve is opened. Their feelings are more than adequately
expressed. Their enthusiasm has boiled over. The orator who wished to
incite his audience to a deed of violence would follow his accumulative
argument, his rhythmical periods, his vivid word-pictures, by a moderate
and reasonable conclusion. The cooling drink will be withheld from the
thirsty man. The safety valves will be screwed down and the people
will go out into the night to find the expression of their feelings
for themselves. But a fortunate circumstance protects society from this
danger. The man who can inspire the crowd by words, is as we have already
observed, under their influence himself. Nor can he resist the desire to
express his opinions in an extreme form or to carry his argument to the
culmination. But for this cunning counterpoise rhetoric would long since
have been adjudged criminal. A crime We conceive that by this analysis we
have displayed the principal elements of English oratory in the English
language. Such an examination of the structure favors the impression
that detailed rhetoric is to be regarded as an artificial science,
which may be acquired by any who possess the physical qualifications.
Experience shows that this conclusion would be incorrect. Throughout the
country are men who speak well and fluently, who devote opportunity,
talent and perseverance to improving their speaking and yet never deserve
to be called orators. The subtle art of combining the various elements
that separately mean nothing and collectively mean in an harmonious
proportion is known to a very few. Nor can it ever be imparted by
them to others. Nature guards her secrets well and stops the mouths
of those in whom she confides. But as the Chemist does not despair of
ultimately bridging the chasm between the organic and in inorganic and
of creating the living microcosm from its primordial elements, so the
student of rhetoric may indulge the hope that Nature will finally yield
to observation and perseverance, the key to the hearts of men.