Arrangement of Rhetoric

1. Arrangement of Rhetoric

2. What do we mean by arrangement? • The organization of a piece of writing • Should be considered in your writing and that of others • “Is the text organized in the best possible way in order to achieve its purpose?” • Not just beginning, middle, end but how the argument is structured within that framework • Depends on intended purpose and effect

3. Classical Model • Exordium—the introduction; introduces the reader to the subject (ethos) • Narratio—the narration; provides factual information and background material; begins the developmental paragraphs or establishes why there is a problem that needs addressing (pathos)

4. Classical Model • Confirmatio—the body (confirmation); the main part of the text; includes the proof to make the writer’s case (logos) • Refutatio—the refutation; addresses the counterargument; classically just before the conclusion, but if opposing views are well known or valued by the audience may be before the confirmatio (logos)

5. Classical Model • Peroratio—the conclusion; brings the essay to a satisfying close; answers the question “so what” (pathos and reminds of ethos) • Classic rhetoricians believed the last words and ideas are the ones remembered the most

6. Patterns of Development • Arrangement is based on purpose • Include a range of logical ways to organize an entire text or (more likely) individual paragraphs • The way we will study different types of writing

7. Patterns of Development • Narration • Description • Process Analysis • Exemplification • Comparison and Contrast • Classification and Division • Definition • Cause and Effect