English & Language Arts: Rhetoric - Its History
The home school student's studies of language cannot be complete without some knowledge of rhetoric and its history. Home school parents' lessons should attempt to describe its uses and applications as well. Rhetoric has meant many different things over its long history, but it is generally described today as the art of persuasion through language. The home schooled student should be versed in its use and its history. The origins of rhetoric can be traced to ancient Greece where it grew out of the public and political life of its people. In Classical Greece, the great thinkers generally spoke rather than wrote down their thoughts and the art of speech, including rhetoric flourished. The art of rhetoric is essential for the home school student in both the history of language and its modern day applications. The heavy use of rhetoric in public speech, especially in modern politics, makes it imperative that the function of rhetoric be taught to the home school student.
In ancient Greece, rhetoric was used to illustrate important points. The homseschool student should know that it was considered essential in the illustration of important truths and was viewed as positive. The home school student should be aware that this is quite the opposite of how it is often portrayed today, with the use of rhetoric seen as a way of diverting attention from the truth. Aristotle, in his treatise, The Art of Rhetoric, attempted to describe rhetoric as an art or skill and its use as a communication tool and counterpart to dialectic communication.
The home school student should also understand the importance of Roman thought as it pertains to rhetoric. Cicero and Quintalian expanded on Aristotle's philosophies, using them to great affect Roman political discourse. Cicero contributed many great works on rhetoric, including De Oratore, The Brutus and The Orator. A renowned orator, Cicero's speeches were excellent examples of rhetoric in use. Quintilian began as a legal pleader and his reputation as a rhetorician prompted Vespasian to create a chair of rhetoric for him in Rome. Quintilian's work was a response to the heavy use of ornamentation over substance in rhetoric.
The home school study of rhetoric should include the fact that after the fall of the Roman Empire, rhetoric went into a steep decline. Home schoolers should learn that it wasn't until the Renaissance that it saw resurgence. Home school studies should also focus on the works of Erasmus, who was an influential figure in its re-emergence. Another major figure in its rebirth was Juan Luis Vives. Vives, a Spaniard, was appointed to the Lectureship of Rhetoric at Oxford in 1523 and was entrusted by Henry VIII to be one of Mary's tutors. It is crucial that the home school student be exposed to Erasmus in order to full understand the use and function of rhetoric.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because "our current system of education has broken its promise..." Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.
Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Daily Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.