“Lend me your ears.”
“Lend me your ears” is probably the most famous phrase associated with rhetoric. They are the words of Marc Antony as told by Shakespeare to an unruly crowd in Rome following the assassination of Julius Caesar. Starting with those words he proceeded to quiet the crowd, then artfully persuaded the crowd to turn their wrath towards those who assassinated Caesar. Words are powerful. Words change the course of nations, as well as homes and relationships. They can do great good, and great harm. Words wield so much power that it is a common impulse to avoid the formal study of … Continue Reading ““Lend me your ears.””
Remembering a Speech – 80 Years Later
80 years ago today, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and tomorrow marks the 80th anniversary of one of the most significant orations in American history: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Declaration of War Upon Japan. The speech is significant for several reasons. It reminds us of the nation we once lived in. We hear the dignified tone of a great American leader, confident in his country, confident in his God. We are reminded that the President is a man under authority himself, as Roosevelt asks Congress to declare war rather than taking unilateral executive action. It shows us that a great speech can be written at the simple … Continue Reading “Remembering a Speech – 80 Years Later”
10 Ways to Thwart Copiousness
Be too cool to ask questions or learn anything new. Try not to think hard, but if you must think, compartmentalize your thoughts. Spend your free time indoors staring at a screen. Fear ideas that differ from your own, and never read anything you disagree with. Only be friends with people your own age who think like you. Avoid people who know more than you. Have no heroes. Never travel far from home, but if you must, stay only in comfortable places. Never think through what the Bible says about anything. Never pray. HT: Brian Daigle If you want to … Continue Reading “10 Ways to Thwart Copiousness”
Fitting Words Rhetoric: Sample Lesson (Lesson 12)
Here is one full lesson from the Fitting Words Rhetoric curriculum so you can get a feel for how the course works. Each lesson of Fitting Words Rhetoric has two videos: Lesson and Application. In addition, there is an exam prep video for each of the nine exams throughout the course. We recommend students follow these steps while going through Fitting Words: Read the lesson in the textbook Watch the Lesson portion of the video course Work on the exercises in the Student Workbook. Watch the Application portion of the video course (workbook open). Where appropriate, put the application/workbook to … Continue Reading “Fitting Words Rhetoric: Sample Lesson (Lesson 12)”
Rhetorical Figures covered in Fitting words
The video course that accompanies Fitting Words Rhetoric begins each lesson with a review of a rhetorical figure. These are covered again in detail in lesson 27, but students will already be familiar with them and using them. Here is the list of what figures are emphasized (with examples) in each lesson. The Glossary/Index at the back of the textbook has definitions for each of these. Fitting Words – Rhetorical figure per Lesson1. Parallelism / isocolon2. Antithesis3. Ellipsis / zeugma4. Asyndeton5. Polysyndeton6. Parenthesis7. Alliteration / assonance8. Antimetabole / chiasmus9. Anaphora10. Epistrophe11. Climax12. Epanalepsis13. Anadiplosis14. Polyptoton15. Metaphor16. Simile17. Metonymy18. Synecdoche19. Personification20. Apostrophe21. … Continue Reading “Rhetorical Figures covered in Fitting words”
Augustine on the use of Rhetoric
Christians need to learn the tools of Rhetoric both to persuade and to gain wisdom and understanding of our times. “Since, then, the faculty of eloquence is available for both sides, and is of very great service in the enforcing either of wrong or right, why do not good men study to engage it on the side of truth, when bad men use it to obtain the triumph of wicked and worthless causes, and to further injustice and error?” —Augustine, On Christian Teaching (quoted in Fitting Words: Classical Rhetoric for the Christian Student by James B Nance).