6 part oration essay example

Teaching Text Rhetorically

Integrating Reading and Writing Instruction by John R. Edlund

The Roman Six-Part Speech as an Essay

Update: I now have a student-oriented article and a mini-module on this topic.  See the newer post “ The Classical Pattern of Persuasion .”

In a previous post, I discussed the problem that can be created when students combine a rudimentary understanding of Aristotle’s three appeals–ethos, logos, and pathos–with the five-paragraph essay format. Instead of rhetorical analysis it is easy for students to fall into a pattern of a paragraph about ethos, a paragraph about logos and a paragraph about pathos. I think the solution is to teach more rhetoric! However, we might also provide an alternative to the five-paragraph essay.

I mentioned this in a previous post, but I will go into more detail in this one. The ancient Romans had a six-part format for persuasive speeches that is still used by orators today and which can easily be adapted to essay writing. In fact, most editorials and op-ed pieces follow a similar pattern today. The format is organized by rhetorical purpose and can be expanded or contracted to fit different kinds of content.

If the five-paragraph essay seems too constraining, this pattern is a good alternative. It has several advantages. The “narratio” section provides more background and context for the reader, so that when we finally get to the thesis in the “divisio,” we feel like we are well-informed about the nature of the issue and why it is important at this particular moment. Then we have arguments in favor of the position in the “confirmatio” and arguments against in the following “refutatio.” The result is that when we get to the conclusion, we feel both informed and persuaded, and that the issue has been viewed from more than one perspective.

In a short paper, the first three categories might be combined into a one-paragraph introduction, but if the issue is complicated, the “narrative” section might take two or more paragraphs. The “confirmatio” and “refutatio” form the “body” of the paper, and the “peroratio” the conclusion. Each of these sections might be one or more paragraphs.

This pattern can be taught as a series of questions:

• What is my paper about? How can a make my reader interested in it?
• What background information does the reader need to know to understand the issue I am writing about? What is the story behind the issue? How did things get this way?
• What are the possible positions someone could take on this issue? What position will I take and why?
• What are the arguments in favor of my position? How can I support them?
• What will people who disagree with me say? What are the arguments against my position? How can I refute them?
• What do I want my reader to believe or do after they finish reading my essay? How do I want them to feel?

These are good prewriting questions even if the student ends up writing a five-paragraph essay. They also work well in collaborative activities. Students can help each other brainstorm arguments for and against the writer’s position, and explore different possible positions on the issue.

This pattern can also be used to analyze published editorials and op-ed pieces. We can ask:

• What is this piece about? Why is the issue or topic important, according to the writer? What kind of impression does the writer create?
• What background information does the author give us? What is the story behind the issue? Does the writer do a good job of putting the issue in context?
• What are the possible positions on this issue? Does the writer do a good job of laying them out? What position does the writer take? Is it clear and well-defined, or a little vague?
• What arguments does the writer make in favor of his or her position? How are they supported? Do they make sense?
• What arguments against the position does the writer describe? Does he or she do a good job of refuting them? Can you think of other arguments against the position that the writer does not deal with?
• How do you feel at the end of the piece? Are you persuaded? Why or why not?

These questions, and the Roman pattern from which they derive (Cic. De Inv. 1.7; Cic. De Or. 1.31.143), are useful for organizing discussions of persuasive texts. They can help the student think about the pros and cons of multiple positions rather than simply taking one position and supporting it with one-sided arguments and cherry-picked examples. They also might reveal gaps or problems with a published writer’s position or arguments, allowing the student to see that just because something is in print, it doesn’t mean it is well-argued.

This post is also available as  a handout for teachers in .pdf format. I have also included two analyses of op-ed pieces, one about reconsidering the use of QR Codes in mediating between real and online worlds and one by Stanley Fish about whether history professors should speak out politically as history professors.  (For copyright reasons I have only quoted the first few words of each section.  It is best to go to the URL I have provided to see the full article.)  The QR codes article fits the pattern quite well.  The Fish piece less so, but then I find his arguments unconvincing as well.  Doing the analysis reinforced my opinion that he was less than persuasive.  Picking apart the organizational structure leads to insights about the arguments as well.

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Arrangement in Composition and Rhetoric

Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms

AndrewLilley / Getty Images

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In rhetoric and composition, arrangement refers to the parts of a speech or, more broadly, the structure of a text . Arrangement (also called disposition ) is one of the five traditional canons or subdivisions of classical rhetorical training. Also known as  dispositio, taxis , and organization .

In classical rhetoric , students were taught the "parts" of an oration . Though rhetoricians did not always agree on the number of parts, Cicero and Quintilian identified these six: the exordium, the narrative (or narration), the partition (or division), the confirmation, the refutation, and the peroration.

Arrangement was known as taxis in Greek and dispositio in Latin.

Examples and Observations

• "Aristotle states that...the very nature of rhetoric requires at least four components: an exordium , or introduction ( prooimion ), an advanced thesis ( prothesis ), proofs ( pisteis ), and a conclusion ( epilogos )." (Richard Leo Enos, "Traditional Arrangement." Encyclopedia of Rhetoric , 2001)
• In A Rhetoric of Motives (1950), Kenneth Burke summarized the classical position on arrangement as "rhetorical form in the large" involving the following: "a progression of steps that begins with an exordium designed to secure the goodwill of one's audience, next states one's position, then points up the nature of the dispute, then builds up one's own case at length, then refutes the claims of the adversary, and in a final peroration expands and reinforces all points in one's favor while seeking to discredit whatever had favored the adversary."

Declining Interest in Arrangement

"In the place of the old rhetoric's formulaic arrangement , the new rhetoric [of the 18th century] advised an arrangement that reflected the flow of thought itself. By the nineteenth century, the classical rhetorical tradition was pretty much adrift—although Richard Whately made an heroic effort to salvage it. As writing pedagogy abandoned prescribed techniques for invention , arrangement, and style (memory and delivery were already sinking as writing displaced oral literacy), teachers increasingly focused on grammar and surface features. How the student was supposed to create an essay was a mystery—as all writing came to be seen as the result of inspiration. Teaching the structure of the classical oration certainly made little sense because the form of a piece of writing should be determined by the reality the writer aimed to convey, not some static pre-ordained formula." (Steven Lynn, Rhetoric and Composition: An Introduction . Cambridge University Press, 2010)

Arrangement in Modern Media

"Modern mass media...present special complications to the study of arrangement because the sequencing of information and arguments , the order in which certain appeals reach an audience , is very difficult to predict...Saturation and sheer quantity of exposure to a 'message' given in single bursts may count for more than the interrelationships of parts of a single message achieved by its carefully crafted arrangement." (Jeanne Fahnestock, "Modern Arrangement." Encyclopedia of Rhetoric , 2001)

• The Parts of a Speech in Classical Rhetoric
• The 5 Canons of Classical Rhetoric
• Exordium - Definition and Examples
• Proof in Rhetoric
• Narratio in Rhetoric
• The Four Master Tropes in Rhetoric
• Oration (Classical Rhetoric)
• What Is a Compelling Introduction?
• Invention (Composition and Rhetoric)
• The Art of Public Speaking
• Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech
• Definition and Examples of the New Rhetorics
• An Overview of Classical Rhetoric
• Definition and Examples of Progymnasmata in Rhetoric
• Definition and Examples of Dialectic in Rhetoric

Classical arrangement (simplified):

The Introduction is where you introduce your standpoint.

The Statement of Facts is put in terms that even your opponents cannot deny.

The Division is a discussion of at what exact point you stop agreeing with the opponent, and start disagreeing (what it is you REALLY disagree on).

The Proof is where you present the  arguments and evidence you have to support your standpoint.

The Refutation is where you bring up your opponents' main arguments and prove they are wrong.

The Conclusion may include an appeal to emotion (pathos). In modern argument, it may also include a discussion of what good things will happen if the audience accepts your argument, what bad things will befall them if they do not agree, and a clear statement of what you want your audience to do.

  O.W. Rev. 10/13

Image is non-copyright. Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Cicero.PNG

Definition Essay Six Part Oration Model

Description

This is a one-week lesson on how to write a definition essay using Cicero's 6 Part Oration model. It walks students through the brainstorming process, from choosing a word to write a definition essay, to writing about the historical importance of the word. Once students have completed the Brainstorm worksheet (included), you will walk them through the six-part oration model to write a compelling, comprehensive and cohesive essay. Then students will learn how to add depth and length to their writing by using metacommentary.

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Test: 6 Part Oration Test

13 multiple choice questions.

Term Exordium Choose matching definition speaker draws together the entire argument (conclusion) introduction of an essay or speech (hook/topic) Introduce (an idea), Cite, Explain Hypothetical Situation, Anecdote, Quote, Statistics, Rhetorical Question Don't know? 1 of 13

Definition Hypothetical Situation, Anecdote, Quote, Statistics, Rhetorical Question Choose matching term Peroration Examples Exordium Examples Exordium Confirmation Don't know? 2 of 13

Term Narration Choose matching definition speaker draws together the entire argument (conclusion) speaker anticipates objections to the points raised and counters them (destroys their argument- claim, evidence, examples) speaker divides the main topic into parts (Thesis Statement- answer to the big question- controversial & argumentative) speaker provides important background information on the topic ("word on the street") - longest part of introduction paragraph Don't know? 3 of 13

Definition speaker divides the main topic into parts (Thesis Statement- answer to the big question- controversial & argumentative) Choose matching term Refutation Peroration Partition Narration Don't know? 4 of 13

Term Introduction Paragraph Choose matching definition dream world situations and/or a call to action Introduce (an idea), Cite, Explain Exordium, Narration, Partition Confirmation & Refutation Don't know? 5 of 13

Term Confirmation Choose matching definition speaker draws together the entire argument (conclusion) speaker offers proof or demonstration of central idea/thesis (ICE) speaker provides important background information on the topic ("word on the street") - longest part of introduction paragraph speaker anticipates objections to the points raised and counters them (destroys their argument- claim, evidence, examples) Don't know? 6 of 13

Term ICE Model Choose matching definition introduction of an essay or speech (hook/topic) Exordium, Narration, Partition speaker draws together the entire argument (conclusion) Introduce (an idea), Cite, Explain Don't know? 7 of 13

Definition speaker anticipates objections to the points raised and counters them (destroys their argument- claim, evidence, examples) Choose matching term Partition Narration Peroration Refutation Don't know? 8 of 13

Definition Confirmation & Refutation Choose matching term Peroration Examples Introduction Paragraph Paragraph Types/Options Peroration Don't know? 9 of 13

Definition speaker draws together the entire argument (conclusion) Choose matching term Refutation Narration Confirmation Peroration Don't know? 10 of 13

Definition dream world situations and/or a call to action Choose matching term Peroration Examples Exordium Examples Peroration Introduction Paragraph Don't know? 11 of 13

Term CHROME Choose matching definition Used for examples (Current Events, History, Reading, Observation, Media, Experience) speaker offers proof or demonstration of central idea/thesis (ICE) speaker draws together the entire argument (conclusion) speaker divides the main topic into parts (Thesis Statement- answer to the big question- controversial & argumentative) Don't know? 12 of 13

Definition You want your evidence to be _____________ instead of abstract. Choose matching term Exordium CHROME Exact Peroration Don't know? 13 of 13