Classical Rhetoric

1. Classical Rhetoric • By the time we’re through… • It won’t be all Greek to you • Maybe more like Latin

2. Exordium • The “Hook” or Attention Grabber • E.g. A joke, a quote, a question, some striking statistics • Employs persuasive appeal of ethos • Establishes credibility with the audience

3. Narratio • Establishes background and authority • Typically 2-4 sentences following the exordium • Explains the “nature of the case”

4. Divisio • Commonly called the “thesis,” but more powerful than in the familiar Five Paragraph Essay • What you are analyzing and seeking to prove • This is where you take your stand • Typically the last sentence in the first or second paragraph, but can occur anywhere it is most effective

5. Confirmatio • Where you begin to build and solidify your case with: • Logical appeals to reason, logos • Research, specific examples, analysis • The main portion of your essay

6. Refutatio • Your counterargument • Acknowledges and addresses opposing views without resorting to logical fallacies to refute them • Can be one paragraph on its own or several interwoven throughout the confirmatio

7. Peroratio • Links back to your exordium • Pulls your reader along to the conclusion • Ties your conclusion back to the flashy comment you started with, your “hook” • A summing up with an attention grabbing appeal to pathos, an appeal to the emotions

8. The Final Act