ABSTRACT
At its core, rhetoric is fundamentally about the ways in which an individual may persuade their audience. Although modern pedagogues of rhetoric frequently encourage students “to find their own voice,” classical rhetoricians assumed that a speaker would need to practice speaking in the voice of others to become persuasive rhetors. This rhetorical figure and speech exercise was commonly known as prosopopoeia. Over two millennia, rhetors have used prosopopoeia to speak for absent, unborn, and deceased humans, as well as nonhuman entities such as animals, bots, and gods. Prosopopoeia remains an important site of investigation given its ability to give voice where none exists.
The author places special emphasis on efforts to persuade others by creating voices for animals. He begins with a historical overview of prosopopoeia in the classical world before reviewing contemporary scholarship in rhetoric and animal studies. He then contributes to this ongoing conversation by highlighting the persuasive affordances of prosopopoeia in recent animal welfare and political campaigns. This analysis suggests that prosopopoeia’s persuasiveness stems mostly from its use of appropriated ethos and pathos.
