An Outline of Classical Rhetoric

Frank D’Angelo

Adapted from

English 523 Classical Rhetoric and Written Composition

Arizona State University

Rhetoric: The Three Branches:

1.      Deliberative (political)

2.      Judicial (forensic or legal)

3.      Epideictic (Ceremonial)

Deliberative (political)

1. Aim–to exhort or dissuade

2. Ends–expediency or inexpediency

3. Time–future

4. Audience–chooses between alternative courses of civic action.

Judicial (forensic or legal)

1. Aim–to accuse or defend

2. Ends–justice and injustice

3. Time–past

4. Audience–judges the innocence or guilt of someone accused of a crime.

Epideictic (ceremonial)

1. Aim–to praise or blame

2. Ends–honor and dishonor

3. Time–present

4. Audience – praises the speech and the skill of the orator.

Rhetoric–The Five Parts

1. Invention

2. Arrangement

3. Style

4. Memory

5. Delivery

Invention

Stasis–the main points at issue

Invention

Proof–two kinds

Inartistic

Artistic

Invention

Proof:

a. Inartistic

1) sworn testimony

2) documents

3) laws

4) torture

Invention

b.artistic

1) ethical—speaker’s character ethos

2) emotional—audience’s mood pathos

3) logical—rational argument logos

i) deductive—topoi and enthymemes

ii) inductive—example

Arrangement

Aristotle—4 essential parts

1. proem

2. statement of facts

3. proof

4. epilogue

ArrangementCicero—7 part structure

1.exhortation2.narration3.proposition4.confirmation5.refutation6.digression7.conclusion

Style: The 3 Types

Low or plain (unornamented)

Middle (somewhere in between)

Grand (ornamented)

Style: the 4 Virtues

1. Purity (correctness)

2. Clarity

3. Decorum (appropriateness)

4. Ornament

Style: Sources of Ornament

1. Schemes

2. Tropes

StasisDefinition of “Stasis”:

1.The first conflict of two sides of a case, resulting from the rejection of an accusation: “You did it,” / “I did not do it.”

2.The starting point of a case.

3.The circumstances that give rise to a case.

4.The point at issue in a legal argument.

Stasis: Four Kinds of Issues

1. Conjectural—dispute over a fact.

2. Definitional—dispute over a definition.

3. Qualitative—dispute over the value, quality, or nature of an act.

4. Translative—dispute over moving the issue from one court or jurisdiction to another.

Stasis: Central Question of the Case

1. Based on an analysis of the issues

2. Coming from the conflict of pleas: “I was justified in doing it.” / “You were not.” “Was he justified in doing it?”

Stasis:The Reason or Excuse

1. That which holds the case together

2. “He was justified in doing it because she killed my father.”

Stasis:Point for Judge’s Decision

1. That which arises from denial of the reason or excuse.

2. That which arises from assertion of the reason or excuse.

Stasis:Foundation of the Defense

1. Strongest argument.

2. Argument most relevant to the point for the judge’s decision.

Stasis:Advancing the Argument

1. Investigating the topoi.

2. Inductive and deductive reasoning.

CLASSICAL INVENTIONCommon Topics of Invention

Process

Comparison

Contrast

Classification

Narration

Exemplification

Causes

Effects

Definition

Description

Negation

Analysis

An Outline of Classical Rhetoric

Frank D’Angelo

Adapted from

English 523 Classical Rhetoric and Written Composition

Arizona State University