An Outline of Classical Rhetoric

1
An Outline of Classical Rhetoric

• Frank DAngelo
• Adapted from
• English 523 Classical Rhetoric and Written
  Composition
• Arizona State University

2
Rhetoric The Three Branches

• 1.      Deliberative (political)
• 2.      Judicial (forensic or legal)
• 3.      Epideictic (Ceremonial)

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Deliberative (political)

1. Aimto exhort or dissuade
2. Endsexpediency or inexpediency
3. Timefuture
4. Audiencechooses between alternative courses of
   civic action.

4
Judicial (forensic or legal)

• Aimto accuse or defend
• Endsjustice and injustice
• Timepast
• Audiencejudges the innocence or guilt of someone
  accused of a crime.

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Epideictic (ceremonial)

1. Aimto praise or blame
2. Endshonor and dishonor
3. Timepresent
4. Audience praises the speech and the skill of
   the orator.

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RhetoricThe Five Parts

1. Invention
2. Arrangement
3. Style
4. Memory
5. Delivery

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Invention

• Stasisthe main points at issue

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Invention

• Prooftwo kinds
• Inartistic
• Artistic

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Invention

• Proof
• a. Inartistic
• 1) sworn testimony
• 2) documents
• 3) laws
• 4) torture

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Invention

• b. artistic
• 1) ethicalspeakers character ethos
• 2) emotionalaudiences mood pathos
• 3) logicalrational argument logos
• i) deductivetopoi and enthymemes
• ii) inductiveexample

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Arrangement

• Aristotle4 essential parts
• proem
• statement of facts
• proof
• epilogue

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Arrangement

• Cicero7 part structure
• exhortation
• narration
• proposition
• confirmation
• refutation
• digression
• conclusion

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Style The 3 Types

• Low or plain (unornamented)
• Middle (somewhere in between)
• Grand (ornamented)

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Style the 4 Virtues

1. Purity (correctness)
2. Clarity
3. Decorum (appropriateness)
4. Ornament

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Style Sources of Ornament

1. Schemes
2. Tropes

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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.

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Stasis Four Kinds of Issues

1. Conjecturaldispute over a fact.
2. Definitionaldispute over a definition.
3. Qualitativedispute over the value, quality, or
   nature of an act.
4. Translativedispute over moving the issue from
   one court or jurisdiction to another.

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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?

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StasisThe Reason or Excuse

1. That which holds the case together
2. He was justified in doing it because she killed
   my father.

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StasisPoint for Judges Decision

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

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StasisFoundation of the Defense

1. Strongest argument.
2. Argument most relevant to the point for the
   judges decision.

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StasisAdvancing the Argument

1. Investigating the topoi.
2. Inductive and deductive reasoning.

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CLASSICAL INVENTIONCommon Topics of Invention

• Process
• Comparison
• Contrast
• Classification
• Narration
• Exemplification

• Causes
• Effects
• Definition
• Description
• Negation
• Analysis

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An Outline of Classical Rhetoric

• Frank DAngelo
• Adapted from
• English 523 Classical Rhetoric and Written
  Composition
• Arizona State University