When Eulogies Turn Political: John McCain and Cato the Younger

Reactions to the death of John McCain over the last week have varied wildly, from adulation to anger. “Don’t speak ill of the dead,” some…

Avenging Lucretia

From Rape to Revolution

An expert in classical rhetoric analyzes Trump

I’m a classics professor who researches the rhetoric of the Roman orator Cicero. Cicero lived from 106 to 43 BCE – he died a year after…

Alexander Hamilton’s Catiline Obsession

Before Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway show Hamilton turned the “Ten Dollar Founding Father” into everyone’s new favorite historical…

Hillary Clinton’s Rhetorical Persona

This article is part of a two-part series using ancient rhetorical theory to analyze Hillary Clinton’s speeches. The other article is…

Lysistrata in Liberia

Reading Aristophanes’ Lysistrata with Leymah Gbowee’s memoir Mighty Be Our Powers