How is the study of rhetoric useful for making sense of politics? The term politics is generally understood to mean state politics such as legislators, bureaucrats and government departments. «Politics is the art of preventing men from taking part in affairs that concern them» (Paul Valery, poet father). Paul Hirst suggests that politics exists where there is a plurality of actors, with different ways of calculating their interests and the possibility of conflict. This essay will explain how the study of rhetoric is useful for making sense of politics by defining the terms politics, power relations, rhetoric, and I will use Kevin Rudd's apology speech to illustrate this. Politics is the set of activities and relationships that are continually in question. negotiated between social actors who are able to exercise different degrees and forms of power. It's about power relations; involves conflict and discussion. To understand the argumentation approach, we must first understand what rhetoric is. However, Dean argues in the book Governing Societies: Political Perspectives on Domestics and International Rule that political governance in contemporary societies is best understood as a matter of confrontation, struggle and resistance. According to Dean, politics concerns the overall set of relationships between state and non-state actors. (Dean 2007)Foucault's thoughts on power are different from the general vision. It suggests that power is not an ability a person can have; rather, power is something that is exercised within interactions. Power passes through relationships, or networks of relationships. Foucault suggests that a power relationship is a relationship between all actors trying to influence each other. Declare that you...... in the middle of the paper...... give them your sincerity. Kevin Rudd gave the apology speech to all Aboriginal people and the Stolen Generations in 2008 soon after becoming Prime Minister. It was a deliberative speech because it was well planned and well intentioned. The speech is pathetic because it was made with the awareness of counter-opinions. The word “sorry” was used three times in Rudd's speech (News.com.au 2008). According to Rudd, he says the apology is being made to "remove a great stain on the soul of the nation (ABC News 2008). However, it is also because he wanted to demonstrate to the public that their approach is different from the old. His speech aimed to counter that what the Howard government has done in the past is wrong. By giving the speech, he presented himself as a person of integrity and built a good image and reputation with the Australian public.