Isocrates: The Great Teacher

1
Isocrates The Great Teacher

• Advanced Rhetorical Writing
• Matt Barton

2
The Great Teacher Isocrates

• Isocrates opens first school of rhetoric in in
  Athens, 393 BCE
• Developed periodic sentence
• Emphasized praxis
• Education improves natural talents and should
  serve the state
• Talent, Experience, Training crucial for
  rhetorical and philosophical success
• Education should form good citizens, not
  navel-gazers

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Periodic Sentences

• Loose vs. Periodic Sentences
• Loose Style Strung together like beads
  (straight)
• Periodic Style Turned or Guided by an End
  (circular)
• Bill went to the store and bought some milk and
  decided to get some cheese he came home and saw
  that the cat had gotten out he looked for it and
  couldn't find it his TV suddenly went blank."
• After his trip to the store, where he bought
  milk and (on a sudden whim) cheese, Bill's
  arrival at home was marred, first by his cat, who
  had gotten away and couldn't be found, then by
  his TV, which suddenly went blank.

4
Isocrates views on rhetoric

• Requirements for Rhetorical Success
• Natural Ability
• Practice Making Speeches
• General Principles
• Kairos is all important.
• An orator striving for fame will emulate moral
  behavior thus virtue will become a habit. (ethos)

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Against the Sophists

• Oratory is good only if it has the qualities of
  fitness for the occasion, propriety of style, and
  originality of treatment.
• Formal training in rhetoric can help
• talented orators further refine their skills
• Untalented orators get by.
• Rhetoric cant make you wise or good by itself,
  but it can help you help yourself.
• Evil deeds dont go unpunished forever.

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Oratory and Civilization

• Because we have the power to persuade each other
  and to make clear to each other whatever we
  desire, not only have we escaped the life of wild
  beasts, but we have come together and founded
  cities and made laws and invented arts
• There is no institution devised by man which the
  power of speech has not helped us to establish.

7
Oratory and Understanding

• The power to speak well is taken as the surest
  index of a sound understanding, and discourse
  which is true and lawful and just is the outward
  image of a good and faithful soul.
• The same arguments we use to persuade others (the
  eloquent), we also use to deliberate in our own
  thoughts (the sage).

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Oratory and Morality

• Orators will constantly appraise illustrious and
  edifying examples which will influence him not
  only in the preparation of discourse but all the
  actions in his life.
• The man who wishes to persuade people will apply
  himself above all to establish a most honorable
  name among his fellow-citizens.

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Other thoughts from Antidosis

• Some academic subjects seem unrelated to real
  life, but learning these subjects is still
  useful.
• They teach us how to apply our minds to
  difficult problems and think with subtlety and
  exactness we learn how to focus.
• Philosophy is useful if it helps us make
  intelligent decisions when were in uncertain
  situations.