Department of Social Science of College of Arts and Social Science

Central Luzon State University

Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija

WRITTEN REPORT:
Rhetorical Tradition of Communication

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for DC 2120:

Communication Theory

Submitted by:
Andaya, Winsor
Estigoy, Djeanne Marie
Lacson. Shaira Gem

Submitted to:
Dr. Chrysl Avegeil N. Vallejo

March 2020
 Communication as Artful Public Address
Rhetorical Tradition

Classical Rhetoric
In ancient times, the best way to present a case to a crowd, assembly, or
organization, is through public speaking using persuasive means at all
cost, phrases of argument as the focus, and formulation of creative idea to
address problems that perpetuates in the society.
Rhetorical tradition is the communication that is concerned with the
connection of the rhetoric and the traditions practice by humans. For the
longest period of time, educators of rhetorical traditions study how people
perceive the function, scope and nature of rhetoric. This tradition of
communication, among the seven traditions proposed by Griffin, seek to
understand how the lives of people are affected by the society in terms of
governance, relationships among constituents and how these elements affect
the quality of a person’s life.

Aristotle
Among the dominant figure in the rhetorical tradition, Aristotle is
considered to be the most influential. As a Greek philosopher and a polymath
during the Classical period in ancient Greece, Aristotle stood out among the
rest with his works being used entirely across different studies thus earning
the title “Father of Western Philosophy”. His writings has a wide scope of
subjects including rhetoric which is the foundation of early communication.
According to Aristotle, Communication is an art and called it the rise of the
rhetoric. He viewed communication as the available means of persuasion.
Consequently, rhetoric is theorized as the practical used of discourse.
It feels better to convince someone about what we know is right. Through
the use of language, any person can have a persuasive effect on its audience.
Also, this can be considered as a trick that creates an impact to the receiver
of the message.
As described by Aristotle, rhetoric is a communication theory, a means
of challenging a number of prevailing assumptions about what constitutes an
effective presentation. Looking at the definition, someone communicates their
ideas which helps stimulates the receiver in a manner that is designed to a
specific result. Thus, in order to be persuasive, one has to make sure that the
words they are using are always convincing, powerful and memorable.
In rhetorical tradition, the process involved were also discussed. The
first process is encoding in which choosing the right words is always
necessary. Words creates meaning and the receiver should understand the
idea that the sender is trying to convey. The second process is transmission,
channel is important for this is where the message is being delivered to the
receiver. Primary channels may be written or oral, this makes sure that the
message is transmitted to the audience. Lastly, decoding process which
tackles how the receiver perceives things through the use of their senses.
(Hearing, seeing, interpreting, evaluation, response). The concept of noise
was also discussed and defined as the interference of the message being
sent which may lead to misunderstanding of the intended message by the
receiver. Another element is feedback channel, this increased the chances of
success for it helps the speaker adapt according to the receiver’s feedback.
Aristotle even further explained rhetoric as a useful way of navigating
one’s life through upholding truth and justice, informing ordinary people,
making sure that no argument escapes us, and defending oneself from unjust
attack. However used as an effective tool, there are audiences that remain
unpersuaded but not to say that rhetoric can is a failure.

The Three Appeals

The three rhetorical triangle or most commonly known as the three
types of appeals are also tackled by Aristotle. The three types of appeal is
also called the three proofs which are known as ethos, logos, and pathos, and
are used by the speaker to persuade someone more easily.
Ethos (ethical appeal) refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the
writer or speaker. This appeal shows how knowledgeable the speaker is to
the concerning subjects. Speakers used this appeal if they are to connect
their argument to the set of views by the audience.
The second appeal is called Pathos (emotional appeal). This proof is
being used by the speaker to persuade someone by appealing to the reader’s
emotions. Pathos with the Greek meaning of “suffering” or “experience”. is an
speaker’s way to encouraged and an audience to imagine the same as the
speaker.
Lastly, Logos or the logical appeal, is the speaker’s way of persuading by
the use of logic or reasoning. In this approach, the speaker clarifies the
messages within certain context and back up this information with effective,
supporting evidences. Aristotle viewed this proof as with audience learning
beyond the surface with appropriate details.

The Three Branches of Rhetoric

During the classical period, orators divided the rhetoric tradition into
three branches. These genres of classical rhetoric are namely Deliberative
rhetoric, Judcial rhetoric and Epideictic rhetoric .
Deliberative rhetoric  is a speech where an audience is subjected in
an attempt to take certain actions (persuade) or not to take the action
(dissuade). This branch can sometimes be mistaken to a Judicial rhetoric
where the utmost concern are the past events. Example of mistaken events to
Judicial rhetoric are Political oratory and debate. In Deliberative rhetoric,
advises are about the future or “what is “about to happen” which is the
focused of debates and political discussion nowadays.
A speech where justice and injustice of certain charge or accusation is
a speech under the Judicial rhetoric. Judicial rhetoric is the branch that
either accuse or defend someone on the basis of facts or truths . This branch
takes into account the importance of the past. In the contemporary period,
lawyers are the primary users of this branch where discourses being
addresses are to be decided upon by a jury or judge.
The third branch of rhetoric focuses on the present events and is called
the Epideictic rhetoric. This approach is used by the speaker to either
praise or blame someone. Writings in Epideictic rhetoric are ceremonial
discourses which includes eulogy, celebrations, speeches, as well as
recommendations. More broadly, this branch of rhetoric includes works of
literature thus offering the speaker educative function that is typically used in
present events as Epideictic rhetoric focuses more on the present .
Topoi (Places to Find Things)
Within rhetorical inventions, the topois or in layman’s term, the topics
are basic categories of ideas that serve as guide to the speaker to see the
relationships and connections of the ideas being communicated to the public.
There are 28 topois divided into two categories (common and special) by
Aristotle.

Socrates: Plato’s Gorgias

Some views of rhetoric were also tackled and one of them is a famous
speaker and an enigmatic figure in the century B.C, Socrates provides his
view about it. Socrates, in his discussion, deny rhetoric as an art. He declared
that the masses are ignorant an foolish by stating that if a man act with some
purpose, he does not will the act, but the purpose of the act. He describe the
person as a leaky jar who does not strive to discipline his/her desires,
The Gorgias, Socrates arguments against the sophistic tradition are as
follows: 1) Rhetoric has no subject matter of its own; 2) Rhetoric is a speech
about appearances; 3) Rhetoric is not for the good of an individual since it
allows the wrongdoer to avoid punishment simply because he is better at
using words; and 4) Rhetoric is not good for society because it does not lead
to truth.

The Romans: Ceciro and Quintilian

Rhetoric in ancient Rome was slow at pace in the beginning, but it began
to prosper when realm conquered Greece and started to be impacted by its
customs. While Romans at that time consolidated a large number of the
logical components set up by the Greeks, they separated from the Grecian
convention from various perspectives. For instance, speakers from ancient
Rome relied more upon expressiveness, riveting stories, and convincing
illustrations and less on consistent thinking than Greeks.
Roman rhetoric after sometime, largely extends upon and develops its
Greek roots and it tends to prefer practical advice to the rhetorical
speculations of Greek rhetoricians.
Ceciro
The first master rhetorician Rome produced was the great statesman
Cicero. Cicero’s approach to rhetoric emphasized the importance of a liberal
education. According to Cicero, to be persuasive a man needed knowledge in
history, politics, art, literature, ethics, law, and medicine. By being liberally
educated, a man would be able to connect with any audience he addressed.

Quintilian
The second Roman to leave his mark on the study of rhetoric was
Quintilian. After honing his rhetorical skills for years in the Roman courts,
Quintilian opened a public school of rhetoric. There he developed a study
system that took a student through different stages of intense rhetorical
training. In 95 AD, Quintilian immortalized his rhetorical education system in a
twelve-volume textbook entitled Institutio Oratoria.

Rhetorical education per Quintillian

1. Percept (the canons)
2. Imitation (analyzing and using models)
3. Composition exercises ( Progymnasmata)
4. Declamation ( fictitious speeches about real topics)
5. Sequencing ( combination of activities)

Key terms from the Roman rhetoricians, including Cicero and Quintillian:
1. The canons: invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery
2. The six part speech (part of arrangement)
3. Tropes and figures (part of style)
4. The progymnasmata for instruction/education

Five canons
Ceciro explains that there are five cannons or tenets of rhetoric invention.
First is Invention or Inventio which means finding what to say. Second is
Arrangement or Dispositio which focuses on the ordering of what is found.
Third is Style or Elocutio where adding the ornament of words and of figures
is depicted. Fourth is Delivery or Actio where performing the discourse like an
actor, gestures and diction is processed. And lastly, the Memory or Memoria
which committing message to the memory of the audience is highlighted.

FIVE CANONS OF RHETORIC: Before vs. Present

CANON TRADITIONALY TODAY
Invention Discovery of plausible Research,
arguments and development of a
supporting material concept
Arrangement Arrangement of Organization, layout
arguments and planning
Style Fitting of proper Stylistic choices;
language to the visualization of the
argument, based on Creativity and concept
appropriateness, Innovation
correctness,
comprehensibility
Memory Grasp and Skill and
understanding of the decisiveness of
material to be presentation
presented
Delivery Control of the Execution of
elements in the deliverable and
presentation of choice of media
argument

Arangement
An arrangement (disposition) concerns how one order speech or writing,
in ancient rhetorics, arrangement referred solely to the order to be observed in
an oration, but the term has broadened to includ e all considerations of the
ordering of discourse, especially on a large scale.

ARRANGEMENT OF A CLASSICAL ORATION

1. INTRODUCTION Exordium ( prooimion)
2. STATEMENT OF FACTS Narration (diegesis)
3. DIVISION Partition
4 PROOF Confirmation (pisits)
5. REFUTATION Refutation
6. CONCLUSION Peroration ( epilogos)

Cicero aligned certain rhetorical appeals with specific parts if the oration.
In the exordium or introduction, it is necessary for one to establish his or her
own authority. Therefor, one employs ethical appeals.

CLASS ORATION
Classical oration has six parts:
 Exordium- attention getter and intro to the topic
 Narratio- background
 Partitio- explanation
 Confirmatio- detailed support
 Refutatio- recognition and refutation of opposing viewpoints
 Peroratio- summary

Reference:
Classical Rhetoric.(n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.sutori.com/story/classical-rhetoric--
95g7gxF4C7UDwqNVoRgfv9rn