Rhetorical Techniques and History

Flashcards for vocabulary related to rhetorical techniques and their historical context.

Amplification

Expansion or elaboration of points for emphasis or persuasion

Amplification

Rhetorical technique of expanding upon an idea or detail to emphasize its significance through repetition, detail, or restatement.

Anaphora

Repetition at the start of successive clauses.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences to strengthen rhythm and reinforce ideas.

Antithesis

Juxtaposition of opposing ideas in parallel structure to highlight differences.

Apophasis

Saying something by claiming not to say it.

Apophasis

A rhetorical tactic where the speaker brings up a subject by claiming not to discuss it to introduce criticism or sensitive topics indirectly.

Argument from Probability

Reasoning based on what is likely or expected.

Argument from Probability

Suggests that something is true because it is likely, based on human experience or common sense.

Tricolon (Ascending)

Three elements in increasing intensity or importance.

Tricolon

A series of three parallel elements, typically increasing in importance or intensity to create rhythm and emphasis.

Captatio Benevolentiae

Effort to gain the audience's goodwill in the introduction.

Captatio Benevolentiae

The effort to win the goodwill of the audience at the beginning of a speech, often through humility or praise.

Enthymeme

Deductive rhetorical syllogism where one premise is implied.

Enthymeme

A rhetorical syllogism where one premise is implied, reflecting everyday reasoning.

Examples (Paradeigmata)

Reasoning by example (inductive).

Examples

Inductive arguments used to establish general principles from specific cases.

Ethopoeia

Composition that sketches a character’s personality.

Ethopoeia

The rhetorical technique of crafting a character or persona in speech.

Ethical Digression

Side discussion on the opponent or client’s morality.

Ethical Digression

A deliberate detour from the main argument to discuss the character of the speaker or opponent.

Peroration

Emotional and rhetorical conclusion to a speech, involving summary and final appeal.

Peroration

The conclusion of a speech, designed to summarize the argument and stir emotions.

Declamation (Controversia & Suasoria)

School exercises: controversia = court case; suasoria = advice to historical figure.

Declamation

Rhetorical practice exercises mimicking court cases or advising historical figures.

Patronus

Roman defense advocate, tied to patron-client system.

Patronus

A Roman elite who represented clients in legal and political cases.

Second Sophistic

A 2nd-century movement emphasizing elaborate and epideictic rhetoric.

Second Sophistic

A rhetorical movement during the Roman Empire emphasizing display oratory.

Epideictic

Used in ceremonies (funerals or speeches of national pride).

Judicial

Used in courts.

Deliberative

Used in political assemblies.

Technical

Ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), logos (logic).

Inartificial

Laws, contracts, witnesses testimony, oaths, confessions & torture testimony.

Exordium (Prologue)

Captatio benevolentiae (gain goodwill)

Narrative

Account of events.

Proofs

Arguments and evidence.

Refutation

Rebuttal of opposing arguments.

Peroration (Epilogue)

Emotional, summarizing conclusion.

Invention

Discovering persuasive arguments.

Arrangement

Organizing material effectively.

Style

Choosing language for clarity and impact.

Memory

Mastering the speech for delivery.

Delivery

Controlling voice and gesture.

Conjecture (fact)

Did something actually happen?

Definition (nature)

What was it?

Quality (justice)

Was it right or wrong? Is it a crime/punishable?

Jurisdiction (authority)

Is this the right court or context?

Plain (Attic)

Clarity, restraint (e.g., Lysias).

Middle

Balanced, moderately ornate.

Grand (Asiatic)

Passionate, emotional, complex (e.g., Demosthenes, Cicero).

To teach

Using logic and clarity (logos, plain style).

To delight

Pleasing aesthetics and cleverness (middle style).

To move

Stir emotions (pathos, grand style).

Memory Palace

Mnemonic technique to organize long speeches.

Trivium

Grammar, Dialectic, Rhetoric

Quadrivium

Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, Astronomy

Grammar

Language

Dialectic

Logic

Rhetoric

Persuasion

Geometry

The study of space and form

Arithmetic

The study of numbers

Music

Number in time

Astronomy

Number in space and time

Aristotle’s view on rhetoric

The faculty of observing all available means of persuasion.

Corax and Tisias

Early developers of rhetorical logic and probability.

Seneca the Elder

Compiled Controversiae and Suasoriae, rhetorical cases and speeches used for educational practice.

Quintilian

Author of Institutio Oratoria; promoted the idea of the “good man speaking well.”

Gregory of Nazianzus

Early Christian rhetorician known for Funeral Oration for Basil.

Theophrastus

Expanded on Aristotle’s work by refining the study of style and ethos.

Hermagoras of Temnos

Best known for his development of stasis theory.

Demetrius of Phaleron

Contributed to the study of style and delivery.

Martianus Capella

His allegorical text On the Marriage of Mercury and Philosophy personifies the seven liberal arts.

Sir Thomas More

Uses rhetorical devices like irony, allegory, and paradox to critique political and social structures.

Petrus Ramus

He argues that invention, arrangement, and memory belong to dialectic, not rhetoric.

Frederick Douglass

Uses rhetorical strategies such as anaphora, irony, logical refutation, ethical appeal, and patriotic language to condemn the hypocrisy of celebrating liberty in a nation that still upheld slavery.

Hellenistic Context

Characterized by the spread of Greek culture, shifting rhetoric toward ceremonial and epideictic functions.

Book 3 Overview

Focuses on style (lexis) and arrangement (taxis).