How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

The Five Canons of Rhetoric

Disciplines > Argument > The Five Canons of Rhetoric

The Romans, as well as the Greeks were interested in argument and rhetoric. The five canons of rhetoric appear in Cicero's first century Latin text, Rhetorica ad Herennium, which contained four books that detail the rhetorical approach of the day, and was highly influential for many subsequent centuries:

Invention: Finding ways to persuade.
Arrangement: Putting together the structure of a coherent argument.
Style: Presenting the argument to stir the emotions.
Memory: Speaking without having to prepare or memorize a speech.
Delivery: Making effective use of voice, gesture, etc.

The Five Canons of Rhetoric

See also