Weekly Writing Assignment, September 22

Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Chapter 7

This chapter was helpful, because it addresses the pathetic proofs, or the appeal to passion and emotion. While pathos is a universal knowledge within the world of rhetorics, this chapter went into extensive detail about the importance of developing emotional arguments. It addresses the importance of emotions, and how they are distinguished by things like appetites and intensity, which affect the overall impact and influence of a pathetic proof.

It also addresses how to analyze emotions in order to make a cohesive and strong emotional argument. Aristotle created knowledge about pathos, and how important it is to understand emotions: "First, they must understand that state of mind of people who are angry, joyful, or indignant; second, they must know who can excite these emotions in people; third, they must understand the reasons for which people become emotional" (II ii 1377b-1378a). This is important, because while people do make emotional appeals, oftentimes they do not understand how to truly appeal to their audience by assessing emotions and making strong arguments based of these assessments.

Weekly Writing Assignment, September 20

The Rhetorical Tradition, Boethius, pg. 486-491

This section of The Rhetorical Tradition was interesting, because it highlighted a Roman rhetor from the Medieval time period and how his teachings and writings were based off of classical rhetors, including Aristotle, whom Boethius studied extensively and aimed to emulate. He focused on Aristotle's structure and basis for rhetorics, and how this is important for an orator to use in order to develop their own speech and writing skills.

This section was also interesting, because the Overview of the Structure of Rhetoric that was presented after the historical background on Boethius presented solid information on rhetorics and about the teachings of rhetoric, and how they can be used to develop one's own speech skills. Overall, this section provided further insight into what the study of rhetorics is.

Weekly Writing Assignment, September 15

Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Chapter 6

This chapter was interesting, because it highlighted the true, historical significance and development of ethical arguments. While most rhetors relied on the rhetorical appeal of logos, it is important and necessary to also appeal in some way to the ethics and character of a person.

This chapter was helpful, because it highlighted various different linguistic options that a rhetor may engage in, to develop and make a strong argument that is based off of ethics, or ethos. Chapter 6 definitely showed the importance of using all three rhetorical devices in order to convey an argument, and it was interesting to read how much ethos truly depends on the style and character of the rhetor, and how these aspects will, in turn, effect the outcome or portrayal of an argument.

While it is important to make personal authority and credibility known, I do believe that it is also important to appeal strongly to all other aspects within the human spectrum, especially logic and emotion.

Weekly Writing Assignment, September 13

Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Chapter 5

This segment of the text was helpful, because it went into great detail the importance of making logical arguments, and how these logical appeals have the power to really strengthen a point that is being made. While we are taught about the three sorts of rhetorical appeals-ethos, pathos, and logos-this chapter highlighted the history, development, and importance of logos, and how this one rhetorical strategy can alter the entire outcome of an argument.

It was very helpful for the authors of this book to break down the segments and meaning of various different aspects within the appeal of logos, such as scientific demonstration, dialectic, rhetoric, and false or contentious reasoning, as well as how to develop a cohesive and strong argument based off of the structure of logos.

I liked how this chapter also highlighted the historical background and development of logos. By providing information on Aristotle, as well as other ancient rhetors, and how they each viewed and used logos to make their arguments, was very insightful. I thought it was very helpful to see how things within an argument are broken up and organized in order to show the overall evolution and development of a particular argument, such as forming the premises and conclusions.

Weekly Writing Assignment-September 8

The Rhetorical Tradition, Aristotle pg. 169-240

This segment was interesting, because it explained in detail how Aristotle's rhetorical theory works and what each aspect of it means, as well as how each theory within can strengthen an argument as a whole. Aristotle also divides speeches into various categories, based on when an event occurred as well as the appeals that are being made within. 

Aristotle also emphasizes the each appeal has the power to influence an argument, in many different ways. This particular section will be helpful when developing my own arguments.

Weekly Writing Assignment-September 6

Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Chapter 3

This chapter was interesting, because it highlighted the investigative means necessary in order to develop a strong and cohesive argument. It was helpful to look at how Staseis was and is used to develop every argument, and to use it to look at contrary point of views that people may have regarding a certain issue.

I think that it is especially important for people to realize that arguments are dependent upon contradiction. Without some sort of contradiction or debate, an argument lacks strength and function. It was interesting that the Older Sophists argued that "contradictory arguments provided fruitful starting points for the exploration of a particular issue," because, after all, there are always at least two sides to every argument available.