ANNOTATION

A beautiful composition of poetry, humor and rhetoric. This piece was originally written by Gorgias, a great philosopher, who presents an argument that Helen of Troy is innocent of all charges. For those that know the story, Helen was a great beauty that was blamed for a war of two countries because each leader wanted her for his own. Gorgias articulately and logically layers arguments for each possible perspective (all sides) as to why Helen should be relieved of blame. It’s a wonderful example of persuasive dialogue that is entertaining, engaging and makes sense.

SELF REFLECTION

Being a good marketer does require a bit of finesse when it comes to articulating persuasion. I think what I find most entertaining about Gorgias is that he almost mocks reason with the constructed beliefs of his audience. What I’ve learned in practice is that the values of my audience should dictate my speech. I start with understanding who I’m speaking to before I decide what to say. The art of persuasion still relies on relatability. This is most evident when I’m building advertising decks and campaigns.

Dillon, J., Gergel T. (2013). Gorgias, Encomium of Helen in The Greek Sophists. pp 76-84. London.