Voice

Voice is the second most important aspect of rhetorical (or persuasive) communication(the first is solid logos, or message). When the communication is written, we call this aspect the author’s "style." I assume that many of you have been introduced to the style analysis paper in other courses, probably Freshman or Sophomore English. If not, have no fear. Here is a quick review.

When we describe voice in a rhetorical argument, we are actually describing six things. They are often referred to using the acronym T-DIDLS ("tee-diddles") because it sounds funny and we can all remember it. The letters stand for Tone, Diction, Imagery, Detail, Language, and Syntax.