a brief study on Rhetoric

rhetoric- the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing; language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but it is often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content

Aristotle (in book I, chapter 3 of his Rhetoric series) explains that there are three types of rhetoric: deliberative, judicial, and ceremonial. Deliberative oratory is used to persuade or dissuade an audience. Judicial argumentation is implemented for accusing or defending a person or group of people. Ceremonial rhetoric is used to praise or blame what is honorable or disgraceful. Each of these branches of persuasive language have a specific and appropriate occasion in which they should be used. All of these particulars culminate, when used properly, in giving the orator the ability to decipher between good and bad, just and unjust, & great and small.

Battle of Thermopylae - from the Persian view

This is my version of our slant narrative assignment from this past week. Mine takes the opposing view of Caity's.

I, Esther, wife of Xerxes, begin this journal to faithfully recount the happenings of the Greco-Persian battle as my beloved husband and his army are out at battle. As the King of Persia, it is Xerxes’ duty to go against the Greeks and fight them. He is taking his duty seriously and has fought bravely thus far. I miss him dearly, even though he’s only been gone a few months; it seems like he’s been gone for years. I faithfully pray that the God of my people will protect him. He sends letters when he can and keeps me, and those here at the palace with me, updated as to the progress of the war. Our troops are fighting like real men and never lose heart. They are all so weary I am sure. How hard for them, as well as my husband, to be separated from there beloved wives and children so long. It is a man’s duty to fight I guess. It makes life at the palace so much more quite, even at times restless. When I know Xerxes is happy with the progress of the battle, it is so much easier for me to be happy.

Tonight, I have received word that things are going slowly in Thermopylae. Our Persian army is fairly large especially now that the Medes have joined us. The Phoenicians and Athenians, among others, have joined with the Greek’s paltry army. The pass of Thermopylae where they are fighting, was blocked by the Greeks, but at the time Xerxes wrote the letter, they had just recently concurred the Greeks and were moving further in. The countryside, he said, is covered with oak trees, how lovely that must be in this fall weather. I can just picture rolling hills covered in the gold, red, and orange of the changing trees.

I cannot effectively summarize what Xerxes has told me, so I’ll copy his words: “We have been fighting day and night for four days straight. The Greeks though, they have fewer people, have good army tactics and strategy. They form lines of defense and switch out warriors so as to not make them too weary. We have fought through the pass of Thermopylae and are moving inward. We trade off days of victory with the Greeks frequently, but I feel our army has regained a passion for fighting, and the enemy is slowly loosing courage. Our army is fighting bravely. You would be proud to see them fight for their country and families as they do. Speaking of family reminds me of how I miss you and wish this could somehow be over soon, so that I may return and embrace you once again. I think of you by day and dream of you by night. Perhaps, if all goes well, we may be on our homeward journey by the end of the year. It has been a rough day of fighting and I must see everything in camp is set for the night and get some sleep.”

I am so eager to see him again. And to think, he could be home by the end of the year! I am sure that with God’s help they will concur. I fast and pray for them regularly. Just as God granted me courage when I had to face Xerxes about the life of my people, I am sure God will give our warriors strength.

The Battle of Thermopylae

-based on the factual account written by Herodotus in his book of Histories 7.138-239

I, Sperthias Leoprepes, a faithful and true servant to my dear Sparta, do hereby recount an accurate portion of the war between ourselves and fellow-countrymen against the Persians.

At the first signs of trouble, my greek commander sent me and my friend to the Persian king, Xerxes. We were told to give up our lives as an offering to the foreign king. There were a group of Persians that had come through Hellas and were murdered--our lives were to be forfeit as restitution. We arrived at the palace and were presented to King Xerxes. We were not killed. Instead we were told of the Persian’s plans to invade our home town and were sent back to tell our people that the Persians were coming to attack. Needless so say, people back at home did not like this news. They wanted to kill me, but I escaped by offering suggestions about war preparations. It is really bizarre that a messenger, sent as an sacrificial gift, cannot come home and be welcome. He comes home and everyone there desires to take his life. What a world I live in!

After a notable period of negotiations and endless arbitration, fighting and full-flown battle, we now come to the suma of my historic tale. I was sent again, this time as a spy into the heart of the enemy territory- Sardis. I was caught and, once again, my life flashed before my eyes: I was captured and headed for the palace--that can mean only one thing. When I met with King Xerxes, my fate was turned around yet again. He showed me all his forces, provisions, and quantities of resources, then sent me back home. He ordered me to tell my people of the superiority of the Persians and our need to submit and give up our precious land. I obeyed the first half of the command, but as to our ability to conquer our opponent, I admit, I was not going to parrot the discouraging words of the king. Adding to our meager forces, the Phoenicians, the Athenians, the Peloponnesians, and the Sicilians had all joined with us to defend our country from the over-baring Medes and Persians.

The last major battle Many days of combat had passed and neither party had made major advances. Surprisingly, our lack in numbers was sufficiently compensated by our expertise in the art of warfare. We were stationed at Mt. Anopaia, just off the coast of the Malian Gulf. Other companies of our army were staged at other positions along the pass and on the other side of the mountain and our first-line defense. With these forces in place, we were ready for any advance the Persians might make. This was the turning point; either the Persians won and we lost our homeland forever, or the Greeks won and we could have a strong foothold to fight back our ferocious adversary.

Dawn was just breaking as the first wave of soldiers started climbing the base of the mountain. At first we did not see them--the whole land was covered dense with oak trees. Subtly the sound of a rushing wind approached. We armed for battle and found that our foes were upon us. The “wind” had been numerous bands of Persians trampling the leaves and breaking the low-lying branches. The soldiers did not expect to see us, and upon first sighting men in armor, they fled back to their camp. News spread fast and the whole Achaean host was soon brandishing swords, ready for the battle. The first onslaught hit, but by this time we were prepared. We fought nobly and ended up routing the Persians four different times that day--each subsequent time more and more fully, until the last time they were utterly destroyed.

words worth saying?

As I was reading some of my homework for this week, I found some really great thoughts about the art of speaking and how a person should govern his/her speech.

"Propriety does not just deal with avoiding 'bad words' in our writing, it really just has to do with using words, words that fit the occasion. For the most part that means you should avoid swear words, but just as important, you should avoid words that are too lofty for the occasion, as well as words that do not come natural to you as a writer." -Lene Mahler Jaqua, based on Quintillion

"Those then who go to excess in ridicule are thought to be buffoons and vulgar fellows who itch to have their joke at all costs, and are more concerned to raise a laugh than to keep within the bounds of decorum...those on the other who never by any chance say anything funny themselves and take offense at those who do, are considered boorish and morose...most men are only too fond of fun and raillery, even buffoons are called witty and pass for clever fellows...the cultivated gentlemen will therefore regulate his wit, and will be as it were a law to himself. Such then is the middle character, whether he be called 'tactful' or 'witty.' " -Aristotle

a legend for 1st-3rd graders

King Croesus sent a message requesting that I come to see him as soon as possible. I knew that I had to go and, so as not to displease my king, I postponed all the activities that I had scheduled for the afternoon and set off for the palace. I arrived at the regal buildings and was immediately overwhelmed. I had never before been to visit the king so I had no idea where to go to meet with King Croesus and his lords. After asking several questions I made my way to what I learned was the royal court. When I walked into the room, I made several embarrassing mistakes. First I felt like (and so I'm sure I looked like) an ant getting ready to be stepped on by a huge foot. Also, I didn't know who the king was, so I introduced my self several times to different nobles, only one of whom pointed me in the right direction. I heard the snickers circling the room--I swallowed hard and approached the person who, by this time, I felt sure was the King. Thankfully I was right.

Croesus, proud as his reputation made him out to be, spoke to me about himself. After a while he asked me to assure him that he was a very happy man, maybe even the happiest. I could not lie--my mother had taught me that when I was just a young kid--so I tried to tell him of other stories of people that I knew who I considered to be cheerful and content. In each case the people led a life satisfactory life of toil and selflessness. The king did not particularly enjoy my telling him the stories. I hoped that he would be able to see how the people did not have the wealth that Croesus had, but they still lead a happy life. A life much more pleasant than his. I was immediately dismissed and I have not seen King Croesus since.

a fable for a 4-year-olds

This week's writing assignment was to rewrite the story of Little Red Riding Hood and to write it using vocabulary that 4-year-olds could understand and short enough that their attention could be captivated for that period of time.

Little Red Riding Hood's perspective

Mother, warning me not to talk to strangers and not to leave the path, handed me a basket of bread and a bottle of wine and sent me over to Grandmother, who wasn't feeling well. I was wearing my red cape and the day was bright and beautiful as I strolled down the road. The path soon lead into the woods. I had not taken three steps before a delightful-looking wolf stopped me. He was so kind and polite, I was sure that Mother would wish me to be as nice back. Mr. Wolf asked me all sorts of questions about where I lived and where I was going, what was in my basket and who was it for? Answering his questions I proceeded on my way but he stopped me again. This time he suggested that I pick a handful of purple, yellow, pink, and white flowers to take to my grandma. I did gather a bouquet and was soon skipping over to Grandmother's house. Cheerfully greeting Grandmother, I stepped into the sunny room and went over to the bed. She looked awfully hairy with big ears and a long nose. I bent a little closer to see her more clearly and right then realized that it was Mr. Wolf dressed up as my grandma! He ate me up so fast I had no time to think, but thanks to a kindly hunter who rescued me, I am alive--and now, after learning the hard way, I do not leave the path or talk to strangers anymore.

The Wolf's perspective

I was wandering about the woods on lovely afternoon and came across a little girl dressed in a red riding hood and carrying a basket of homemade bread and a bottle of wine. She told me all about her sick relation and then wondered off to pick a bouquet of flowers for her dear old grammy. So I decided to pay the lady a visit. When I opened the door I saw her, but my stomach heard her saying how good she would be to eat--just the perfect size. I couldn't believe it, so I went closer and listened harder. All in a moment she was in my belly. Oh no! Little Red Riding Hood was on her way here and now she had no grandma to eat the delicious goodies she was bringing. Quickly I pulled the night cap as far over my ears and nose as I could and slid under the covers, hoping she would not notice that I was not Grandmother. And none too soon! She knocked, came in, and stood by the bed. My stomach was growling again; the temptation was too great. I ate the little girl in one bite, along with the bread and wine. Sleep overcame me and I curled up on the floor. While I was asleep a hunter passed by and noticed that the door stood open and came in. Guessing what happened, he cut me open and there he found the little old lady and her granddaughter still alive. He stitched me up and when I woke up I scampered into the woods and never again tried to eat a human.

successful writing tips

Refutation is an important skill for writers to possess, most especially those who wish to persuade an audience to a certain point of view. There are four keys to a good refutation argument. First the intended audience should be considered; what are their opinions, interests, and concerns surrounding them? how old are they and what is their level of intellectual activity? do they have expectations of you, as the author? Next, it is important to assume that the reader is both apprehensive or ignorant of the information that is delivered. As author lays the ground work he can give is a slant that will automatically draw the listeners in. These are all basics that are profitable for any writer to think about. So what makes a refutation different? In a refutation the author needs to clearly state his position as well as the points of the opponent. In so doing, the narrator needs to have a sense of respect and decorum, especially when presenting the stance of the adversary. When the contrasting viewpoint is brought up, it clarifies to the audience what is going to be discussed and disputed. Fourthly, the last make-or-break concern is the importance of keep the readers attention. The first couple sentences need to create a rapport, or the argument is basically done for; once it is lost, it is nearly impossible to gain is back favorably.

a book for everyone

I Love You, Goodnight

I Love You, Goodnight is written by Jon Buller and Susan Schade. Every page is a colorful illustration with just a few words. It is a simple, but very sweet story-poem. It makes a great read aloud or bedtime story for little children. It does not present a particular worldview, accept that the relationship between the mother and daughter is encouraged and the reader is left cheerful and ready to face everything with a smile.

Little House On The Prairie

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the book series, Little House On The Prairie. She wrote them in such a way that someone of any age could enjoy her writing, but her main audience is young girls who are as old as Laura was in the stories. The writing style is informal and great for reading to oneself or aloud to listeners. Wilder expects the readers to be able to enjoy a farm/country way of life as seen through a little girl's eyes. Most particularly, she writes to the Americans who are interested in the life of the pioneers; backwoods to a dug-out to wide open spaces to log cabins to a general store, Wilder does a great job keeping the attention of the reader and filling in the details that typify her family's life as a settler. Although the Christian worldview is not stated clearly, the Wilder family does go to church when they live in town and in general Christian morals are presented. These books are a fairly easy read and interesting at a very young age, which is great for the elementary- and middle school-age scholars.

Herodotus' Histories

Herodotus wrote his history tome for people ages 15 and up. Though his book is full of great descriptions and accounts of lifestyles, battle, and countryside, several of the topics are unsuitable for a young audience as some of the scenes are graphically portrayed (though not undue attention is spent on these sections). Most of the writing is fairly easy to comprehend, but its sheer volume disheartens even some of the most avid readers. The original intended readers lived in the ancient civilizations themselves, but Herodotus still takes the time to narrate everything that he sees and has memorized; the reader, no matter what nationality, does not need prior knowledge about the ancients before reading this book, as most everything is explained as the book progresses. A bit daunting, the 1,000+ pages are a treasure chest full of geographic location descriptions, interesting tid-bits, and historical facts to the inquisitive and motivated reader.

The Progenitor of Written Antiquity

What if studying humanity was enjoyable and humorous? Often times history texts are difficult to read or so boring to read that it does not captivate the reader’s attention; not so with Herodotus’ Histories. This ancient storyteller has a special gift of being able to take the facts of what is known to have happened and mix it up with the myths, legends, and sagas of the past, most of which are truly plausible, if not proven to be true, to create a fascinating account of the archaic times, people, and places. Herodotus was the first man to compile bits and pieces of the world’s oral anecdotes and recorded them for all posterity to read. It is his writings that have set into motion the copying down of historical events, successfully informing the mankind.

Herodotus was born in 484BC and grew up in Halicarnassus (this town is in modern-day Turkey). His family was well-to-do and thus his education was highly thought of and promoted. In his childhood he was able to travel throughout the ancient Greek and Persian world that he lived in. During his peregrinations Herodotus studied the manners, customs, and religions of the various people groups that he journeyed amongst. He also picked up stories and yarns that the citizenry told and mentally added to his plethora of oral narrations. He was again abroad in his adult years when he was exiled for a number of years. It was during this time that he died at the age of about 60 (the exact year of his death is unknown).

Often dubbed “The Father of History,” Herodotus is the first of the ancient writers to record the history of humanity from the archaic past up through the current events his lifetime. The Histories is a compilation of the oral stories that Herodotus had learned from the people and traditions that surrounded him and committed to memory. Because he gathered all the information he wrote about directly from the people, saw the places, or experienced the situations, he is considered a primary source and his work is considered very accurate, but certainly not faultless. One of the main points of criticism, is that Herodotus so skillfully wove the facts in amongst the folklore tales, that it can be difficult to distinguished and truth sifted out.

Although it contains some questionable “facts,” Herodotus’ writing has withstood the test of time, one of the finest evaluations of illustrious literature. Renowned books remain on the uber-long list of classics because they are widely read, understandable, and well loved; Herodotus’ writing fulfills all three of these qualifications. Today, The Histories of Herodotus, is still one of the best and oldest books available for people to study the ancients. The wealth of information, and amusement, accessible at the turn of a page is remarkable. Reading once through a book as chalk-full of “dates and dead people” as this one, will enhance anyone’s cornucopia of quintessential knowledge.

Herodotus’ erudite knowledge of the ancient times is displayed in his researching of the details and specifics of the oral legends and fables that he learned. Creatively woven into the stories, the customs, ceremonies, and traditions of the ancient civilizations are known today because of the treasury of information found in Herodotus’ classic tome. The Histories have been read by people all over the world; read in different languages and by people of all ages and historic backgrounds. By writing down his knowledge of the cultures surrounding him, The Father of History profoundly influenced the generations extending from the mid 400’s BC until the present age.

slant narratives

(a slant narrative is a story told from a first person point of view, stating the facts and appealing to the emotions of the hearers/readers)

Hare:

One afternoon, Tortoise came up to me and basically dared me to prove that I could beat anyone that I chose to race. Of course I jumped on the opportunity, and asked politely if the turtle would race with me. We were both lined up at the starting point and I began to realize that it might look like I was taking an unfair advantage of Tortoise. I determined to do something about that. I was out of sight of Tortoise at the first bend. The race was almost over and Tortoise was probably just getting into the groove of the race. I decided to lay down and rest a bit to give him some time to catch up, knowing that if he happened to come by before I was up, I would surely hear him, at which time I could amble past and finish. I woke up and saw the scuffled prints of the turtle; I was too late. He took advantage of me during my slumber and unfairly won the race.

Tortoise:

Hare was accustomed to bragging about himself and the speed at which he could run. All of us smaller animals were sick and tired of the perpetual harassment from this rabbit. One day, completely fed up with the same ol' swaggering talk I walked up to Hare and told him that he was indeed swift, but that he shouldn't be too sure that no one could be him. This made him fluster and rage, and, on the spot, he challenged me to a race. Of course I knew that he was faster, but not knowing what he would do to me if I refused, accepted. The gunshot cracked and the race was started. He left me in the dust, but I, slowly plodding on in the hot summer heat, came upon him in the middle of the afternoon sleeping under a tree. I, however, trudged on...one step more and I would break the tape on the finish line. I glanced back, hearing the commotion of a tempest; it was Hare trying to make a dash to win the race. I stepped forward, broke the tape, and incurred the wrath of my opponent.

Summary of Apollo and Daphne

Summary of Ovid’s Apollo and Daphne

Apollo, a great archer, was very conceited, and one day he saw Eros, a fellow archer. Eros was the sun of Aphrodite, and his arrows were know for either making their target falling love, or hate the idea of love. Apollo, being the conceited fellow that he was, insulted Eros saying that his arrows did not make a difference, and that a little guy like Eros couldn’t even hit his target. Eros was very insulted and struck Apollo with the gold tipped arrow (which made him lust), and shot a young girl Daphne with the lead tipped arrow (which made her reject love). Apollo was enthralled with Daphne and chased after her relentlessly, but Daphne continually ran away from him. Daphne’s father was Ladon, the river god. She could not run away any longer and pleaded with her father to save her. He heard her cry and turned her into a laurel tree on the bank of the river. Her feet took root in the ground, her arms were the branches, and her hair turned into leaves. Apollo came upon the tree and saw how beautiful it was. He decided that if he could not have the girl, he would have a tree of his own, and he clung to the tree and never let go.

history of the ancient and modern jury systems

Ancient Greeks had the very first judicial system. Roughly 500 men would gather to hear the litigation and give their opinions of the case. If the trial was a big deal or significant decisions were to be made, it was common for 1,000-1,500 people to attend. With a crowd that huge everybody did not have to agree. However the people did not have a good way to resolve a matter. This caused a very unstable government. The Romans picked up on the Greeks' practice and improved the court system. Roman common law was the basis of their legal system. A ten-man board of nobles were chosen to uphold and carryout the judgements. The formalities were not nearly as strict as they are in today's courtroom, but the basic structure had been laid.

The Romans then influenced the english people. Most of the customs stayed the same, but where the process of defense and accusation became more prominent. When evidence was asked for, it was the responsibility of the defendant or the prosecutor to provide such verification. Today's prosecutors and attorneys gather the witnesses and facts about a given case. This is one of the most important issues where the modern American court system is divergent from the ancient english legal system.

In America, the course of action taken when a person is accused of a crime is called Trial by Jury. A Trial is the process of examination by which a judge or jury decides if a malefactor is guilty or innocent. A jury is a group of people selected from the community who sit and listen to a lawsuit. This group of people has to be impartial to both sides and, in accordance with the US Constitution, the jury can be made up of 1-12 people. Under certain circumstances, the accused may ask for a trial by judge (no jury is present and the jugde decides the case), which, in most cases, is honored. Before the trial begins the people of the jury swear to be unbiased and truthful in the proceeding legal affairs. In the United States of America all felons "shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall be committed." Undivided in opinion, the vote of the jury must be unanimous, or a "hung jury" is called and a new group of jurors must hear and respond to the lawsuit.