Klaipėdos universitetas

The focus of the article is the rhetorical features of Lithuanian social issue advertisements reflecting the war in Ukraine. Rhetorical discourse analysis is used to explore the rhetoric of war: the characteristic rhetorical topics and dominant narrative directions are discussed, the prevailing pattern of rhetorical argumentation is identified, and the main strategies of linguistic expression are determined. The study shows that the discourse of social issue advertisements is a reflection of today’s realities, not only conveying but also shaping societal perceptions. The rhetorical expression of the advertisements signifies the authors’ attempts to reinforce the idea of solidarity, to inspire the addressee to be an active participant in the discourse, and to make decisions that are oriented towards the public good.

The article explores the rhetorical elocution of speeches given by the most famous American business leaders, seen from the point of view of persuasiveness. The aim of the research is to analyse the figurative expression of the speeches in question, to determine and generalise the most common elements of their rhetorical stylistics. Fifty speeches by American business leaders, given on various occasions in the period 1981 to 2020, were chosen and analysed for this article. The research is intended to reveal how various rhetorical figures used by contemporary orators serve as tools for persuasion and emotive argumentation.