Post 4: Due by 11:59 Thursday 04 November

Respond to Johnson’s “The Cynic,” Vlastos’s Protagoras dialogue, or Book 1 of Aristotle. As always, paraphrase or quote along with your response.

The above image is “Diogenes” (1882) by John William Waterhouse.

Essay 1: Winning and Wisdom

Reflect on the balance of winning and wisdom in rhetoric. Your thesis will focus on the degree to which rhetoric concerns winning in contrast to wisdom. Do you agree with Isocrates that winning and wisdom are interconnected? If so, how?

For your sources you may draw on any of the class readings or discussion:

• Gorgias’s Helen
• Dissoi Logoi
• The story of Tisias and Corax
• Plato’s Phaedrus
• Johnson’s “The Cynic”
• Vlastos’s Protagoras dialogue
• Class discussion/lecture
• Online discussion posts

You must include at least 5 in-text citations from the ancient sources, though you may include many more. Strive for an effective balance of citation and analysis. Cite and format your essay following APA conventions. Structure your essay academically with a clear introduction and conclusion (follow the “tootsie roll model”).

If you use your own online discussion posts, don’t cite them. They don’t count as sources, rather think of them as earlier drafts of your own ideas. If you cite the discussion posts of others use the following formats for in-text and full-text:

In-text:

(Steiner, 2010, February 24)

Full-text:

Steiner, T. (2010, February 24). Post 9: Due by 11:59 Sunday 28 February. Message posted to Rhetorical Theory and Application blog, archived at http://rhetapp.blogspot.com/

Length: 3 or more pages.

Format: doublespaced with a title and an APA coversheet.

Due: Friday 12 November.

Points: 30/200 for the term (15%).

The above sculpture has been called the “Melancholy Athena” for many years, but recent interpretations have emphasized her wisdom, re-titling it the “Contemplative Athena.” Athena, after all, was the goddess of wisdom. Here she is depicted contemplating the “turning point” of a race, contemplating how to win.

No Post on Thursday 28 October

No post this week. Let's just concentrate on the speeches.

Speech 1: Arguing the Improbable

Like Gorgias's Helen, Lysias's speech in the Phaedrus, and Plato's first speech in the same, argue for something that is improbable. Argue that someone most people would think is guilty of wrongdoing is not, or that someone thought not guilty is. Argue that something normally thought good, like love, is bad, or argue that opposite. Argue something fanciful, like that horoscopes really come true. You may even argue against commonly held beliefs about history or science. Not surprisingly, conspiracy theory websites can be a good place for ideas.

Here are some possible topics to get you thinking:

• The earth is really flat.
• We never landed on the moon.
• Bush (or Clinton) was the best president we ever had.
• The Twilight series of books are great literature.
• Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome is the best movie—ever.
• Dinosaurs became extinct because of attacks by alien invaders.
• McDonalds food is good for you.
• Chuck Norris is a wimp.

One requirement I have is that you play the argument straight. Your audience may laugh (and you may a little, too), but you have to present the argument as if you truly believe it and for good reason. As the syllabus says, I will evaluate your speech on framing, organization, content, and delivery and style. However, I won't require a visual (you'll need one for speech 2).

Length: 2-5 minutes.

Points: 20 / 200 (10% of term grade)

The above image may look like Aristotle, but it is actually Chuck Norris. I got it from a website of quotations, enjoyquotes.blogspot.com

Post 3: Due by 11:59 Thursday 21 October

Respond to the rest of Phaedrus (39-68). As always, paraphrase or quote along with your response.

The above image is of Plato.

Post 2: Due by 11:59 Thursday 14 October

Respond to the introduction or pages 3-39 of Plato’s Phaedrus (to the end of Socrates first speech in response to Lysias). As before, include a paraphrase or quote along with your response.

The above image is the "Death of Socrates" by Jacques-Louis David (1787). Arguing untile the end.

Post 1: Due by 11:59 Thursday 07 October

Respond to any of the readings from the first two weeks, whether Priam, Gorgias, Dissoi Logoi, or the story of Corax and Tisias. In your post, paraphrase or quote some of the reading and write what you think about it. The paraphrase/quote is very important. Don’t just respond in general—respond specifically. Write at least 15 sentences beyond the length of the paraphrase/quote.

The image above is of an ancient statue of Gorgias.