ENGL / Comm 4103 Rhetoric & Persuasion

1. ENGL / Comm 4103Rhetoric & Persuasion Cicero: De Oratore, Book I

2. Cicero on Rhetoric and Education “[A] knowledge of very many matters must be grasped, without which oratory is but an empty and ridiculous swirl of verbiage” (Cicero 291).

3. Cicero: Major Concerns • Qualities of a Great Orator • Rhetorical effectiveness requires broad knowledge: • “[N]o man can be an orator complete in all points of merit, who has not attained a knowledge of all important subjects and arts” (292). • Claiming to be an orator often carries with it the implication that the speaker is well-educated (292). • Style • Rhetorical effectiveness requires correct style: • “[A] style that is dignified and graceful and in conformity with the general modes of thought and judgment” (297).

4. Cicero: The Great Orator “[B]efore approaching his task of oratory, [the great orator should be] trained in all the liberal arts” (299).

5. Cicero: Defining Rhetoric • Science, talent, practice • Practice makes perfect: • “[H]abit and practice sharpened the edge of discernment and quickened the fluency of delivery” (301) • Practice leads to theory (304). • Talent • “Natural talent is the chief contributor to the virtue of the oratory” (305).

6. Cicero: The Orator • The Ideal Orator • Requires: • Talent • “[R]eady tongue, the ringing tones, strong lungs, vigor, suitable build and shape of the face and body” (305). • Broad Education • The liberal arts: Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, Astronomy • Excellent character • Judged: • Poor public performance will hound the orator • “[S]tupidity finds no apology” (306)

7. The Orator “But in an orator we must demand the subtlety of the logician, the thoughts of the philosopher, a diction almost poetic, a lawyer’s memory, a tragedian’s voice, and the bearing almost of the consummate actor. Accordingly, no rarer thing than a finished orator can be discovered among the sons of men” (306 – 307).

8. Comparisons • How does Cicero’s conception of the orator compare to: • Plato? • Isocrates? • Aristotle?

9. Training the Orator: The 5 Canons “I learned that he must first [1] hit upon what to say; then [2] manage and marshal his discoveries . . . next [3] go on to array them in the adornments of style; after that [4] keep them guarded in his memory; and in the end [5] deliver them with effect and charm” (308).

10. Training the Orator: The 5 Canons • The Five Canons of Rhetoric • These are the five guiding principles for the development of every instance of discourse: • Invention (Inventio) • Arrangement (Dispositio) • Style (Elocutio) • Memory (Memoria) • Delivery (Actio) • At various points in the history of rhetoric, some canons are elevated above others.

11. Training the Orator: Practice “Most students . . . merely exercise their voices . . . , and their physical strength, and whip up their rate of utterance, and revel in a flood of verbiage. This mistake is due to their having heard it said that it is by speaking that men as a rule become speakers. But that other adage is just as true—that by speaking badly men very easily succeed in becoming bad speakers” (309)

12. Training the Orator: Practice • The orator must practice correct habits. • Merely speaking and exercising the voice is not enough training. • Bad training = bad speaking. • Writing is the best practice: • “The pen is the best and most eminent author and teacher of eloquence, and rightly so” (309). • Paraphrasing famous Latin speeches is ok, but • Translating from Greek to Latin is the best practice.

13. Training the Orator: Practice • The voice must be trained: • Study the best examples from the theater. • The memory must be trained: • Memorize examples of excellent oratory. • Oratory must be practiced in public: • Public performance is the true test of rhetorical training. • “[S]ecluded preparation must be brought forth into the daylight of reality” (310). • Additional training (310).

14. Two views in De Oratore Crassus Antonius • Natural talent with training. • Extensive study: logic, philosophy, literature, history. • Fully developed understanding of rhetorical strategies imperative. • Emphasizes depth of knowledge and specialization. • Practice is essential; emphasizes writing and cognitive processes. • General principles fit for almost everyone. • Cultural sampler plate: “tasting what belongs to others” (312). • Style and Delivery win the day. • Emphasizes mechanical training and “general culture.” • Practice is essential; emphasizes developing voice and other elements of physical delivery.

15. Kennedy on Cicero’s The Orator • The Three Duties of the Orator: • Prove • Delight • Stir • The duties are aligned with three speaking modes: • Plain for proving. • Middle for pleasure. • Grand for stirring emotion.

16. Glenn on Cicero “Cicero artfully argues for a broad, liberal education that allies rhetoric and philosophy as a means of preparing an orator . . . The citizen-orator ought to be ready to do anything for his country, but not everything was permissable—nothing that went against justice or morality or the law” (59).