Post #3: Premise and Rhetorical Examples

To the ancient rhetoricians, premise was of the utmost importance. It acted as their opening statement, setting the stage for their argument. When it came to scientific demonstration, premise consisted of truths that had been scientifically proven. However, when it came to rhetorical reasoning, premise involved human beliefs.

When presenting an argument of any kind, it is important to have examples. Examples can help in proving your point either through a story or an experiment. The key to rhetorical examples is specifics. True rhetoricians are those who evoke sensory details from said examples. For the audience to be able to identify with sights, sounds, and smells, shows that they were able to draw a deep reaction from the argument being presented.

Post #2: Plato

Plato, a famous rhetorician himself, claims poetry to be a type of rhetoric. Plato states that Ion, a type of rhapsode common to Homer, performs the great task of properly dramatizing works such as they Odyssey and the Illiad. However, Socrates' revealing of Ion and it's questionable stance on thesis statements has one wondering whether or not it is really a form of rhetoric at all. Socrates had unveiled that Ion commits to many a thesis that do not in fact work well together. The problem therein lies with the fact that the thesis statement is what working rhetoric is built around.

Post #1: Kairos

In ancient times, rhetoric was a product of those who were elite, the educated class, not for the common man. "Ancient Rhetoric for Contemporary Students" states that the sculptor Lysippos carved a great statue of Kairos as a godly figure. What makes me wonder then is, all Greeks were followers of the gods. Whether they were peasants, artisans, or royals. If Kairos had been inducted as a god, then did all Greeks start to follow him? Were they also able to distinguish Kairos as time? If so, wouldn't that have made all classes of people unofficial rhetoricians?