When in Rome...
As you are sauntering through the forest of rhetoric, feeling thankful to the Romans for their formal definitions and terminology, you may be wondering what now? Well, just as you’ve always wanted, you will now get a chance to challenge such brilliant orators as Cicero, Tacitus, and Davidson!
Focusing on one of the three “branches” of oratory and the levels of style, choose something in our society or your own personal lives that you would like to comment on and write a 3-5 minute speech about it. You may choose to use any style, tone, etc..., that you like, but you must use your language for a purpose and you must be able to explain how you effectively combined your content with your style.
After you write it and deliver it, you must write a brief rhetorical analysis of your own or another student’s speech. (This should be about three typed pages, or 1000 words.) There are several examples of how to write one of these, on a smaller scale, on the Silva Rhetoricae website. Your analysis must adhere to the following:
· Identify the “branch” of oratory of the speech.
· Explicitly explain and show the logos, pathos and ethos of the piece.
· Choose at least one other element of Rhetoric the website we studied in class. Discuss what devices were used and how.
· Explain how the stylistic choices of the speech relate to your content and audience.
So what now?
Consider your audience, consider what is going on in your life, consider what you are qualified to speak about, consider what you need to speak about. You can use this opportunity to explore something out loud that you haven’t spoken bout before; you can use it to share something you know your classmates might not know about. Take chances. Make mistakes!
Honors Humanities
Oratory Rubric
Speaker:
Evaluator:
I. DELIVERY
A. Volume
_____7—I could hear the presentation at all times.
_____5.5—I could hear most of the presentation.
_____3.5—I could hear little of the presentation and wish the speaker had talked louder.
B. Stress—used for emphasis, can include repetition, loudness, questioning, etc.
_____7—The speaker used stress to add importance or create interest several times.
_____5.5—The speaker used stress to add importance or create interest only once or twice.
_____3.5—The speaker never used stress but he should have in order to add importance or create interest.
C. Pacing—rate of speaking, staying within the allowed time frame
_____7—The speaker used pacing appropriately.
_____5.5—The speaker used pacing sometimes but spoke too quickly or slowly sometimes.
_____3—The speaker didn’t pace the presentation well so it was hard to understand and was much too short.
D. Pronunciation
_____7—I could understand every word the speaker used.
_____5.5—I could understand most of the words the speaker used.
_____3.5—There were several words I couldn’t understand.
E. Eye Contact
_____7— The speaker made almost constant eye contact
_____5.5—The speaker made frequent eye contact.
_____3.5—The speaker made little eye contact.
Notes:______
II. CONTENT
A. Logos
_____There was no significant aspect of the speech that was difficult to follow. Audience addressed
and invoked.
_____Some aspects of the speech were difficult to follow.
_____The speaker’s logic was flawed and the speech was difficult to follow.
B. Pathos
_____The speaker skillfully used techniques to make the speech resonate with the audience. Audience
addressed and invoked.
_____The speaker made some successful attempts to make the speech resonate with the audience.
_____The speaker and the audience were disconnected.
C. Ethos
_____The speaker appeared to believe sincerely in the content of the speech. The speaker sufficiently convinced the audience that the speech was worthy of their attention. Audience addressed and invoked.
_____The speaker was tentative in his or her belief in the content of the speech. The speaker convinced the audience of the speech’s worth to some degree.
_____The speaker was not credible.
Honors Humanities Speech Assignment Rubric Name:
/100 Total Speech
/65 Written Speech
/20 Logos, pathos, and ethos clearly considered and apparent.
/10 Evidence that you considered and understood your audience.
/10 Successfully invoked your audience/Je ne sais quoi.
/10 Arranged argument successfully.
/5 Addressed counterarguments without being confrontational.
/5 Used substantial rhetorical flourishes including tropes and schemes.
/5 Grammar/style. No rhetorical vices.
/35 Speech presentation
/100 Speech Analysis
/10 Identify the “branch” of oratory.
/10 Explain the structure of the speech and its efficacy, as it relates to the meaning and audience.
/10 Explain how the delivery of the speech enhanced or detracted from meaning.
/20 Show and explain the balance of logos, pathos and ethos.
/20 Explain how the orator considered their audience.
/20 Analyze how rhetorical flourishes—tropes and schemes—related to and enhanced meaning, or detracted from them.
/10 Grammar/Style