It
seems to me that the idea of delivery is one that is ultimately valued in the Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students.
In reading the twelfth chapter, the first sentence brought up a challenging
discussion question that made me ponder upon my opinion. Isocrates apparently
indicated, “Ancient rhetoricians thought that spoken discourse was infinitely
more powerful and persuasive than was written composition.” Personally, I agree
and disagree with Isocrates belief. In the period that this quote was stated of
course it was true. Spoken discourse was more powerful because of the weak
methods of availability written composition had to offer. During the ancient
period of rhetoric writing was seen as a luxury, not everyone was able to write
let alone read. On the other hand, everyone could listen, therefore making
spoken discourse more powerful than written composition. Although Isocrates
could have never imagined the technological advancements the future would
eventually hold, I believe the opposite of his theory can be applied today.
Now, written composition is more powerful than spoken discourse simply because
the education of the common person allows for the ability of written
communication to extend far beyond the abilities of spoken discourse. Although
there are opportunities like Youtube and television that make a strong case for
spoken discourse, written composition far outweighs the abilities of
persuasion.
I also found it interesting that the culture of
rhetoric was delayed until the twelfth chapter. Personally, it seems like an
important piece of information to know that rhetoric was invented with the
intention to address “very small cultures, where citizens knew one another by
sight, if not personally.” I think this is a reason as to why the study of
rhetoric and philosophy is no longer a critical essence in today’s society,
because the advancements of technology and communication have allowed us to
prioritize arts that are now critical to today’s society.
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