In
his book Politics, Aristotle attempts
to define the ideal government within which inhabitants should be ruled. In
order to best define the ideal government as applicable to circa 330 BCE,
Aristotle effectively employs synecdoche and juxtaposition to demonstrate the advantages
of an involved community. Describing the ideal leader, Aristotle states, “For
every ruler who has been trained by the law judges well; and it would surely
seem strange that a person should see better with two eyes, or hear better with
two ears, or act better with two hands or feet, than many with many” (Aristotle
86). Relating to oligarchy, Aristotle essentially states that with the
advisement of a council, a government may be more likely to prosper as opposed
to under a single individual’s direction. He uses different parts of the body,
relating to sight, hearing, and touch, to emphasize that a leader’s actions are
subject to one’s own circumstances. Furthermore, he continues this use of
synecdoche to suggest that involvement of “many [people]” contributes to a
full, balanced government offering multiple perspectives and advantages.
Additionally, Aristotle employs juxtaposition to show contrast between
oligarchy and democracy; a distinction Aristotle deems relevant to his purpose.
“Therefore we should rather say,” he recognizes, “that democracy is the form of
government in which the free are rulers, and oligarchy in which the rich; it is
only an accident that the free are the many and the rich are the few”
(Aristotle 93). Identifying the importance of wealth of a leader, Aristotle
composes an argument that a true democracy is one in which all inhabitants,
inconsequential to wealth or possession or status, maintain an equal level of
participation in governmental affairs. While written before modern developments
to political science, this excerpt from Politics
appeals to logos, as a government structured around the powerless is truly one
of the people. Moreover, via his employment of synecdoche and juxtaposition of
rich versus poor, Aristotle proposes a coherent argument to the effectiveness
of government, of community.
Works Cited
Aristotle. Politics.
New York, NY, Barnes &Amp; Noble, Inc., 2005.
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