Rhetoric is something that I believe is highly misunderstood. Maybe just by me, but especially by me. I found this book to be interesting but extremely challenging.
Timberdoodle sent me The Rhetoric Companion set which includes both the student book and the answer key. This is a high school level course to guide students to become skilled in the power of persuasion.
If you are like me, you tend to expect rhetoric to be an attempt to persuade you to believe someone else’s version of the truth. I tend to think of it as carefully crafted statements made by politicians to make you believe something without knowing any of the truth or having any kind of support. I am happy to tell you that true rhetoric is not that at all. Turns out, I could really benefit from this course.
The Rhetoric Companion is written to teach high schoolers so it is on a bit higher reading and comprehension level than most books you will pick up. Expect to be challenged with your reading and don’t be surprised when you have to go back and reread paragraphs to get the entire meaning. I have had to work at memorizing words that I have heard but not really understood before due to the fact that they are used quite often in the teaching of rhetoric. This is quite the challenge.
Presented in a logical manner, the lessons in The Rhetoric Companion are classical education from a Christian standpoint. Carefully thought out statements are the crux of the teachings in each lesson. From understanding the history of true rhetoric to how to incorporate the five canons, these lessons guide the students through true training in crafting a presentation that is arranged correctly and worded strongly. By the completion of the course, the student’s ability will have grown by enormous bounds.
With 31 lessons and an appendix on language study, this book is a full year’s study. Each lesson includes approximately four pages of reading followed by a listing of suggested readings, several exercises to complete, and review questions. The answer key is simply that and gives the suggested answers for the review questions. Throughout each of the lessons, there are tidbits of wisdom and quotes of great authors sprinkled at the edges of the page. I have gotten almost as much out of these little snippets as I have from reading the lessons.
Expect challenges. Expect hard work. Expect the exercises to stretch and push you. Expect growth. If you are expecting those things, The Rhetoric Companion set will be of great benefit to you.
Timberdoodle has provided a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. They have The Rhetoric Companion as part of their 12th Grade complete curriculum package. Timberdoodle has also generously offered to send two (2) readers each one (1) copy of The Rhetoric Companion. This is open to US mailing addresses only. This softback book will be a grand addition to your own learning or that of your student. Please click on the following link to be taken to the Rafflecopter entry form.
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I have never studied rhetoric, but always planned to do it with my kids. Now one is in college… so hopefully I can pull it off with some of the younger ones.
I had never even thought about it until this came up. I have learned so much!!
I’ve never studied rhetoric but this makes it look both challenging and interesting.
Definitely challenging! 🙂 And I learned a LOT of new words.
I have never studied rhetoric either, but keeping this in mind for next year when my son is in high school.
I love philosophy class in highschool and the beginner one I had in college, this rhetoric book sounds right up my alley. 🙂
Great post. I’ve never studied rhetoric and like you thought it was carefully contrived convincing. This will be good to know for when my daughter is in high school.