https://www.thoughtco.com/the-5-canons-of-classical-rhetoric-1691771
I thought the word ‘rhetoric’ was an insult – describing the kind of speech that is all about flash and nothing about substance. I thought it was something old and Greek and no longer of much use. It is those things, really, but it is also much more. After teaching rhetoric in homeschool, I’ve come to think of it as a process.
In The Well Trained Mind by Jesse Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, the trivium concept divides education into three stages: Part one is the Grammar Stage (grades 1-4); Part two is the Logic Stage (grades 4-8); and Part three is the Rhetoric Stage (grades 9-12). Each stage represents a step in a child’s developmental and intellectual growth.
https://www.halfahundredacrewood.com/well-trained-mind-plans-and-schedules/
In the Grammar Stage, the student absorbs facts. In the Logic Stage, the student begins to question, analyze, and develop a capacity for abstract thought. In the Rhetoric Stage, the student learns to express herself elegantly and persuasively.
The reason I lay out the steps of the trivium is to explain that, although “rhetoric” as a subject isn’t taught until grades 9-12, because rhetoric is a process, the grammar and logic stages provide the essential foundation.
Most people rhetoric with debate, and debate is certainly a very dynamic display of rhetorical skills. But, debate club isn’t for everyone. Rhetoric is. Rhetoric is necessary for everyone. It’s about speaking, writing, listening, and thinking. It doesn’t do anyone any good to learn something, then not be able to communicate about what they learn. Scientists must write papers detailing their research and findings. Business-people must communicate and motivate their employees. Mathematicians must present their solutions logically and completely. In personal life, families must listen and respond to each other in positive instead of negative ways. When you watch TV or a movie or listen to music, you listen, absorb, and interpret what you see and hear. When you walk into a grocery story, rhetoric bombards you and you must fight your way through this barrage, deciding what to buy and what to reject. This is all rhetoric.
