Rhetoric from Homer to Augustine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rhetoric from Homer to Augustine - Essay Example boss civilization contributed a lot to our modern science and laid foundation of modern scientific conceptions of the humanity inside and outside of us. Rhetoric is just one point of ancient heritage. Rhetoric from Homer to Augustine went done the phase of its origin and becoming when fundament of this art was laid.2. Rhetoric in Greece was one of the three extensive arts. So it was a very important art. In Homer days rhetoric was not astray developed yet, but it is possible to say that Homers contribution to rhetoric is obvious. His epic poems Iliad and Odyssey were full of poetic dialogues, argumentations and treatment exercises for achieving different goals. His poetry influenced further poetic and rhetoric development in Greece. But in fifth century B. C. rhetoric became known for wide people through sophists. They thought people skill of argumentation. Sophists motion was valued rather high as they helped people to defend th eir personal interests, not always fair. So this form of teaching soon declined. Platos teaching was another significant spirit to rhetoric development. He was an thwarter for the sophists. ... Aristotle developed Platos ideas and went further. He introduced rhetoric as a system of particular skills necessary for an orator. It was the next step of rhetoric development. Aristotle identified three main elements of rhetorical art example of an orator, his emotions and his language. It is very important to intuitive feeling the character of the audience, its structure - it will help to choose correct ways of influence on it. Orators character and emotions must be directed to the goals of the speech - his speech must be emotionally-colored, bright and address everybodys police wagon and feelings. The choice of suspend language is also important. It in turn depends on the audience structure and goals to be achieved. So Aristotles system influenced rhetoric very much and prepared fer tile ground for its further abstract and development.3. Rhetoric in Ancient Rome took much from that of Greece, but there were its own features. The main figures of papistical rhetoric were Cicero and Quintilian. Cicero was one of the most brilliant orators of the ancient world. His speeches were full of expression, his influence on the audience was great, his oratorical methods were much imitated in his days and by later orators. Ciceros works on rhetoric were influenced this art in Rome and for further rhetoric development in general. Quintilians treatise Institutes of Oratory was the next step of rhetorical skills systematization. He wrote about five main rhetorical canons. These are development of an argument its arrangement and organization for achieving an appropriate effect definition of the speech style for a determined audience speech delivery methods orators retentiveness needed to keep in mind all elements of the speech. Quintilians