A point that the authors of the Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Studies book emphasize is that
an item that the ancients all agreed on in rhetorical theory is the concept of
arrangement. The ancients believed so strongly in the idea of arrangement, that
they placed the importance of arrangement above all other items in rhetoric,
save invention. Even a lay person would agree; if a lay person were to read a
piece or hear a speech that is disjointed, doesn’t flow well, and would not
present the facts in a logical order, then that person would be apt to dismiss
it. The authors of our book go on to explain that this concept plays into kairos,
and that kairos has both a temporal and spatial element behind it. I take that
to mean that kairos has to be both timed correctly, and must be subjectually
relevant to the piece that would deliver the point in the most appropriate
manner possible at the appropriate time. I believe that this is the basic idea
behind arrangement.
Our
authors continue to explain to us that the ancients generally agreed that there
are 4 parts to a rhetorical work; of which they list the introduction,
narration, proof, and conclusion. This gives a rhetor the general framework
that allows that allows him to insert dialogue into the framework and give it
life, in a certain way.
In the
introduction phase of the rhetorical work, a rhetor must “set up” his work, and
give an audience a frame of reference to what the rhetor is about to present.
Our authors mention that the way Cicero would explain that the introduction can
either be composed in a way that has a solid and up-front introduction, that is
to say that an introduction would present an idea in such a way that would
cause the audience to be attentive and ready to receive the following information.
In contrast, insinuation is more of an under-handed means that acts to capture
the audience’s minds and acts to draw the audience into the piece. Each method
has advantages, and are highly subject to the kairos of the moment; meaning that
the rhetor must weigh the advantages of both methods and select which one may
be more effective in a particular situation.
In the
narrative of the piece, a rhetor must state the issue so that the audience can
consider it. Our authors explain that there are many types of narratives, and
it would be up to the rhetor to decide which narrative would have the most
impact on a target audience. According to Cicero, a narrative may be omitted if
the intended audience has already a knowledge of the issue, or if another
rhetor has addressed it. In direct opposition to this, Quintilian disagreed
with Cicero, and stated that omitting the narrative would be discarding it as
if it were useless. Most of the ancients did agree, however, that the narrative
should be clear, concise, brief, and non-persuasive.
In the
proof phase of the piece, the rhetor is then required to present the proofs
that support the rhetor’s stance on the narrative. In this part of the piece,
the rhetor must select arguments that best support his case in the context of
the piece. Here, rhetors can choose to insert confirming statements that will
support the narrative, or the rhetor can choose refuting statements that would
act to go against the narrative.
In the
conclusion phase of the piece, rhetors can do quite a few different things.
Some rhetors may wish to forgo the conclusion phase, depending on the length of
the rhetorical piece, or the rhetor may choose to insert a summary of the
piece, or some kind of last-minute emotional appeal. There are many possibilities
of how a rhetor may choose to close out the work, but it will be up to the
rhetor to select the one that best supports the entire work.
Our
textbooks in the course use great examples of how the proper arrangement can
increase the interest in a rhetorical work, and cause it to persist over time. By
following the simple rules of arrangement, a person may be able to compose an
effective and well delivered rhetorical work that will convey the rhetor’s
message as effectively as possible by using the spatial element of kairos.
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