Style as Central to Communication

Fridays are for Philosophy  11/20/15
Wilson, Douglas, and Nathan D. Wilson. The Rhetoric Companion: A Student's Guide to Power in Persuasion. Moscow, Idaho: Canon, 2011.
Lesson 25, “Metaphor and Style.” pp. 123-128

Wilson moves from his discussion of poetic expression to the idea of style. The style of the author or speaker is central to the communication. It is not an extra accessory. Furthermore, the style of the speaker is aimed at capturing an overarching metaphor (Wilson 2011, 123). Because all of creation is expressed to us as an expression of God, it all speaks somehow about God. Likewise our words eventually speak about us. Wilson therefore urges speakers that the content of their speech should ultimately be God’s revelation (Ibid., 124). Wilson, as a consistent Calvinist, urges his students to view their role in the world as that of taking dominion over what they have been given, whether works or materials (Ibid., 127). Therefore the work of the orator is to take words and therefore thoughts into submission, using them to show the centrality of the presence of God in all of life.