February 7th: Aristotle's
On Rhetoric, Book 3

Class Business

Here's the list for "Leading Class Discussion". Did I miss anything?

Also, remind me to ask if the Moodle posts are being e-mailed to everyone. I think I asked Moodle not to do that.

Aristotle's On Rhetoric, Book 3

Book 3 is often not assigned or not emphasized in rhetorical theory or history of rheotirc courses. As you no doubt read, it's very much a handbook that offers technical advice on deliverying oratory. Although much of the structure of oratory Aristotle presents is still with us today (c.f. the 5-paragraph essay), contemporary public discourse cannot easily be fit into Aristotle's structure. Doing so would prove to be a rather procrustean endeavor.

There is still much that Book 3 offers the student of rhetoric, and we'll use his work for rhetorical analysis. After all, he is explaining how to engage audiences to move them to agree with a speaker's (author's) position. Where do we hear examples of the various oratory Aristotle diescribes?

Our friend Kennedy claims Chapters 5, 6, 8, and 9 are unsatisfactory. Hey, he translated it.

Notes to Consider (or not)

We don't have to address these, but I'm including them incase there's a lull in the conversation:

• Persuading people absolute: "All people are persuaded either because as judges they themselves are affected in some way or because they suppose the speakers have certain qualities or because something has been logically demonstrated (3.1.1, Kennedy p. 194 2nd ed.)
  Online--2nd sentence

• View of public in regard to politics: "...as actors are more important than poets now in the poetic contests, so it is in political contests because of the sad state of governments." (3.1.4, Kennedy p. 195, 2nd ed.)
  Online--up 4 lines

  • Kennedy notes that this idea "seems to reflect the Platonic view...that political oratory under democracy had become a form of flattery and that it offered entertainment to the mob." (p. 195, 2nd ed.)
  • Ever heard of "infotainment"?
  • Aristotle continues "...[delivery] has great power...because of the corruption of the audience." (3.1.5, Kennedy p. 196, 2nd ed.)
    Online--down 4 lines "defects of our hearers"
• Use words appropriate to your age, class, etc. (3.2.3, Kennedy p. 198, 2nd ed.)
  Online--11 lines down
• Etymology from nature
  (3.2.13, Kennedy p. 201, 2nd ed.)
  Online--9 lines down "two different lights")
• Let's consider...(3.5, Kennedy pp. 206-209, 2nd ed.) Online
  • style
  • correctness
  • grammar
  • rhetorical grammar
• "Since there is generally less chance of a mistake, oracles speak of any matter in generalities" (3.5.4, Kennedy p. 208, 2nd ed.)
  Online
• Think horoscopes
• Notice, though, that Aristotle (as well as, assuming historical accuracy, the rest of the Greeks) still believes oracles can predict the future.
• Visualization
  "...[urbanity is achieved] by means of bringing-before-the-eyes...for things should be seen as being rather than as going to be done"(3.10.6, Kennedy p. 219, 2nd ed.)
  Online--5 lines up
• Purpose and context
  "...things that are intended for delivery, when delivery is absent, seem simple minded, since they are not fulfilling their purpose" (3.12.2, Kennedy p. 227, 2nd ed.)
  Online--up 13 lines "strings of unconnected words"
• Prudent vs. good man
  (3.16.9, Kennedy p. 241, 2nd ed.)
• Mockery vs. buffoonery
  (3.18.7, Kennedy p. 248, 2nd ed.)
  

Gorgias' "Encomium of Helen"

The online translation makes a point to claim it's different from Kennedy's.

This speech is most likely a refined oratory used for didactic purposes, a class lesson. Observing the structure is obvious (especially in the Kennedy translation with the subheadings), so let's consider what makes it persuasive. Thinking forward to your rhetorical analyses, how is meaning built into this speech? What might be a priori, and what might be a posteriori?

Consider Gorgias' views on:

• Royalty

• The Gods

• Love

• Destiny/Fate

• Persuasion (good, bad, beautiful)

This speech is an often anthologized work from the 5th century B.C.E., so it's a major work of Western Civilization.

Anatomy of Oratory and Arguments

I decided to create a web page to help us think about arguments and oratory. Tonight, let's focus on Nikki Giovanni's "We Are Virginia Tech" and a discussion about the "Misery Index."

Richards Rhetoric

As I mentioned earlier in the semester, Richards's text is there to contextualize our readings and fill in the gaps (or create new ones)--we can't cover everyone in depth. This text should be helpful in locating scholarship on our figures and clarifying their (often) confusing arguments. Any thoguht?

Several Terms to Know

The following list isn't exhaustive, just introductory. The terms below are major terms for rhetoric:

• ethos: the presentation of one's character

• pathos: appeal to emotions

• logos: appeal to reason or logic

• eidos: specific topics.

• idiai: specific proofs

• koina: commonalities (Kennedy, p. 50)

• pistis (pisteis, pl): proof

• telos: objective, end

• topos: the "place" where a speaker may look for the available means of persuasion.
  Note: in modern usage, topoi has come to mean "commnplaces"

Onward to On Christian Rhetoric

I swear to you the next work isn't a trick to proselytize. We're reading it in a secular context to consider how a dominant religion in Western Civilization uses rhetoric and its rhetorical tradition. Whether you like it or not, belivers and non-belivers in the West have been influenced by Christianity. What do I mean by that?