'For many years now, I have been reading and teaching rhetorical analysis of the tactics of public persuasion — in speeches, public advocacy, political campaigns, editorials, and the like — and what philosophers, rhetoricians, and poets have said about the relationship of rhetoric to poetry. Some modem day persuaders have used the tropes and figures of memorable speech in questionable ways, adapting the arts of persuasion, defence, and praise to the black arts of spin-doctoring and deceit. In this discussion, I want to claim some of the ethical ground of rhetoric for contemporary poetry, and suggest a usable approach to talking about the way a poem sounds.' (Introduction)