Listen to audio
“ Stop The World ”
– I want to get off –
Stop the world,
I want to get off,
Its lethal whirl
I’ve had enough,
Held toxic while
Man efforts cure,
To anew beguile
Alters not lure,
Of endless excess
Or denied blame,
Nor will it redress
Its damage insane,
Man culls confess
Of liable fed game,
To play you along
Be without shame,
Of what suits best
For his world cast,
That yet but infests
So increasingly fast,
And gives not a rest
Despite beg antics daft,
With now barely time left!
Ode to voices of empty rhetoric
© Jean-Jacques Fournier
July 10, 2020
Music – Stravinsky’s, The Rite of Spring
Poetry on a canapé 
I cannot tell the number of times “Stop the world; I want to get off ” has entered my mind over the past two weeks. In another very eerie coincidence, I wrote this paragraph late this afternoon in a course I’m working on:
Rhetorical Modes
You may have heard the word “rhetoric” used in a negative sense to mean grandstanding or fear-mongering, particularly in the political arena, as in: “His speech gave us nothing but the rhetoric of empty promises.” However, the original meaning of “rhetoric” is simply the study of writing. Rhetorical modes are writing strategies used to develop ideas. As noted in our previous lecture, ideas are developed in written communication based on its purpose and the needs of its intended audience.
Brilliant thoughts, Liz. I always thought that rhetoric was the art of persuasion, one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Something that Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus would employ. Alas, I have no idea how and why we can come to think of it in a negative sense. Your course sounds wonderful.
Oh well Rebecca, one can always rest on ” different strokes for different folks” For I see, feel and agree with Oxford, as rhetoric thus being the art of effective or persuasive speaking, and use this very effectively descriptive word as quite positive and not at all negative. That it well describes a negative issue does not by association, in my opinion, condemn it to negativism,
et voilà…!
Thank you, my dear friend.
Thanks, Rebecca. Persuasion is the rhetorical mode of discourse that gets the most emphasis, probably because it’s the most complex, and of course we all want to persuade others to our own point of view. The other rheorical modes of discourse (narration, description, process, comparison/contrast, etc.) have their place as well, but usually in combination with each other. I’m having fun putting the writing process course together, although the deadline is bearing down on me hard.
I continue to learn Liz which is the greatest gift of life! This is a very interesting conversation! Thank you!
My pleasure! It’s been fun.
My bible so to speak and trusted English, Concise Oxford Dictionary ( though said of any dictionary as being a guide, and not an absolute ) says of rhetoric’s “origin” not just writing, but speaking or writing, as described below…etc. ergo “speaking” to voices of empty rhetoric, in my ode…
rhetoric /Ⴀˈrɛtərɪk/ Ⴂnoun the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing. Ⴁlanguage with a persuasive or impressive effect, but often lacking sincerity or meaningful content.
– origin Middle English: from Old French rethorique, via Latin from Greek rhētorikē (tekhnē) ‘(art) of rhetoric’, from rhētōr ‘rhetor’.
Thus with all due respect, but contrary to my dear Rebecca, I see, feel and use this very effectively descriptive word as quite positive and not at all negative. That it well describes a negative issue does not by association, in my opinion, condemn it to negativism. Finally, and accordingly, I concur with your noted last sentence as to written communication.
Thanks, Liz, for initiating this interesting exchange, and to you too Rebecca for the added input as to the contrasting opinion of the word.
The negative connotation “rhetoric” has acquired over time seems to refer to the misuse of the modes of persuasive discourse (appeals to emotion with all manner of logical fallacies, for example).
Please don’t get off, Jean-Jacques. We need you here, in this perilously divided and noisy world.
Not to worry, Rebecca, my Stop The World – I want to get off – is shall we say metaphysically speaking, as I do believe there are many more scribbles, a.k.a poems, to foist upon my fellow beings… Thanks for your touching concern my dear friend…
Very powerful.
Thank you, Paulette… your approval response says much!
Intriguing. Really strong words here.
Thank you for your interest and taking the time to comment. A welcome change to the kind of auto acknowledgement that comes back so fast after publishing, that you know they have not even had time to read your piece.
Jean-Jacques Fournier
>
Thank you so much Jean. Well deserved.