Word Power as recommended and exercised by the Ancient Romans

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to examine the recognition and position the Roman literary critics have given to the power cleverly used language has on its recipients. Concentration is given to the ideas presented on achieving sublimity in a work of literature by Longinus (1st cen. BCE). Thisis an extensive study of how to depict and impose feelings and ideas to listeners. His object was to teach the poets how to transport and not persuade the listeners. The method used was to portray powerful emotion by the use of language. A well versed person in the instructions would be able to show that he is experiencing a powerful emotion, even if he was not. It is through this that he could transport the feelings to others. Works of two famous writers of Rome had been able to convey powerful yet basically different emotions, are carefully analyzed with the above discussion in mind. The poets are, Juvenal Birth 55AD), the satirist (in his Sixteen satires) and Tacitus (born 56-57AD) the Roman Historian. Both writers had expressed indignation and anger at what they were experiencing in the era they were living in. But both had used the expression and style to highlight the emotions they were experiencing. The very fact had made step aside from strict rules of grammar. Their very emotions had been faithfully presented in the way they were experienced. Hence the examples quoted etc and the argument agrees with the fact that the art in nature was the most effective of all.