The Five Canons of Rhetoric

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2. Rhetoric
 Aristotle's Rhetoric has had an enormous
influence on the development of the art of
rhetoric. Not only authors writing in the
peripatetic tradition, but also the famous
Roman teachers of rhetoric, such as
Cicero and Quintilian, frequently used
elements stemming from the Aristotelian
doctrine.
 Nevertheless, these authors were
interested neither in an authentic
interpretation of the Aristotelian works nor
in the philosophical sources and
backgrounds of the vocabulary that
Aristotle had introduced to rhetorical
theory. Thus, for two millennia the
interpretation of Aristotelian rhetoric has
become a matter of the history of rhetoric
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3. Rhetoric
 Rhetoric is the art of
persuasion, which along with
grammar and logic, is one of
the three ancient arts of
discourse. Rhetoric aims to
study the capacities of writers
or speakers needed to inform,
persuade, or motivate
particular audiences in specific
situations.
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4. What is Invention?
 “Invention” is about coming up with a good
idea, or having something useful to say to
your audience. The word “invention” in
English actually comes from the Latin
term “invenire,” which, roughly translated,
means “to find.” When you’re in the
invention stage, you’re considering what
your audience needs to know and why
they need to know it.
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5. What is Arrangement
 When we talk about arrangement in rhetoric,
we’re referring to how a communication is
constructed or organized. When you write or
say or design something, you make choices
about where and when things show up in a
document. Consider where to organize
words, sentences, paragraphs, and sections.
Make strategic decisions about what comes
first, what goes last, where the key points of
emphasis are, and so forth. Arrangement is
much like storytelling. How can you set up
your communication so that someone can
understand the key people, the key
problems, the key solutions, and the key
series of events and locations that matter?
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6. What is Arrangement
 There are many ways (endless, in fact) to
arrangement documents, but many
speeches, reports, and common
communication platforms follow similar
arrangement styles. A proposal, for example,
will often start with an introduction; provide
a problem statement; give research, proof,
or facts that support the thesis; show the
results of the research; and offer a proposed
idea. Depending on your communication
piece, consider if there are conventions or
paradigms that you should follow. Then
strategically modify where necessary to give
appropriate emphasis.
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7. What is Style
 Style is the fun, artistic part of
communication. When we talk about
style in rhetoric, we are referring to the
choices you make to impact an
audience. What words will you choose?
What phrases and stories will you tell?
What will be your pace? Will you
use figures of speech or other linguistic
devices to enhance understanding and
appeal? Style is usually aligned with
the rhetorical appeal pathos because
style will often affect the emotions and
reactions of your audience.
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8. What is Memory?
 Memory, when originally
conceived as one of the five
canons, made reference to
memorizing a speech. Good
orators, it was believed,
would have their speech so
well memorized that they
could give it without
hesitation. Memory required
speakers to develop
mnemonic devices to help
them remember what they
would say next.
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9. What is Memory?
However, memory is much more
than memorization and, in fact, for
most speeches of today,
memorizing a speech isn’t usually
considered a good idea. When we
refer to memory in rhetoric, we
mean that a speaker or
communicator should know as
much as possible about a topic
before presenting so that, should
an occasion arise to improvise or
answer questions, you would
know the topic so well that you
could respond with accuracy and
professionalism.
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10. What is Delivery ?
 As you might infer from the Greek definition
of delivery, “pronuntiatio,” delivery is, in
part, about pronunciation. As a broader
concept in presenting information, delivery
is about the way in which you give a speech
or present a communication piece.
 So, in speech, delivery is about your eye
contact, posture, professionalism, the way
you dress, confidence, body language, and
so forth.
 But delivery can be applied to any
communication piece. The delivery of your
resume, for example, might be seen in the
paper you choose, the quality of the print
job, and even the way you fold it or deliver it
when you give it to an employer.
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(Lincoln delivering the famous “Gettysburg Address”)

11. What is Elocution?
 Elocution basically means the
way something is said. The vocabulary,
sentence structure, and expressions used
will affect the reader’s perception of the
ideas. Again, Memory (as mentioned
before) is critical because the power of
expressive language will be a function of
the great database of language in the
brain. However, we can promote greater
facility by using imitation and exercise.
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“Idhar se Aloo, Udhar se Sona!!!”

12. What is Elocution?
 Rubrics or checklists can stretch a person to
use words in ways they might not naturally
use them, and by the requirement to include
such things as an adjective clause, a participle
opener, or a simile, students will be
challenged to use words, expressions, and
devices beyond their everyday habits.
 Of course any checklist should start small and
grow slowly so that the challenge is not
overwhelming, and the trainer should give as
much help as needed, offering suggestions for
appropriate words, rephrasing awkward
clauses, demonstrating devices again and
again. Practicing with a simple “style
checklist” will effectively strengthen elocution
skills in younger students.
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13. Define
 Definition (describe to your audience through definitions and classifications)
 Division (separating your subject matter into its parts or whole, or breaking down into
subjects)
 Comparison (showing similarities and differences of your topic with that of another or showing
the degree to which your topic does or does not do something)
 Relationship (describing things like cause and effect; antecedent and consequence;
contraries; and contradictions)
 Circumstances (determining what might be possible or impossible according to your topic or
what the past might have to say about the future)
 Testimony (using other accounts to describe your topic, considering things like eye-witness
accounts, authority figure explanations, rumors, oaths, documents, law, supernatural
considerations, precedents, and so forth)
 Notation and Conjugates (addressing your topic in terms of language and its relationship to
language)
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14. Conclusion:
 Rhetoric is not the evil sophists’ science, nor the liberal art to be reserved for the upper
school. By understanding the Five Canons, we can see how each of these fundamental
components can be cultivated in learners, who will thereby be blessed with a lifelong
aptitude for effective writing and speaking—hopefully communicating the truth winsomely
and persuasively in a world that so desperately needs it.
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