S. Gentry, A. Tobar, J. Joseph & C. Tindal

AugustineThe Christian Rhetorician

The life of...

Key Ideas and terms

Contributions to Rhetoric

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Followers

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Augustine

Augustine was an early rhetorician that believed that rhetoric itself was neither good nor bad. Rather, he argued that it could be used to decipher the truth and his notion of the truth derived from the Christian perspective where God is the creator of all mankind. He furthered the teachings of Jesus Christ, the son of God, who died so that man would be saved and given eternal life through their acceptance oacceptance of Jesus as their Lord and savior, as well as his ideas on Platonism and Ciceronian theories.

Many of the followers of Augustine found him to be the example of the noble art of rhetoric. His purpose was to hold the attention of his audience long enough to instruct them and win in his endeavor to refute fallacies of neoplatonism and convert them to Christianity. In his teachings he also highlighted the ventures and perils of rhetoric.

A Rhetor Should...

Present their subject in multiple ways

Adjust the manner of speech to accommodate the audience.

Abandon proper grammar and speech if need be to reach lis-teners.

Natural Signsa bent tree is the indication that the wind is blowing

Conventional Signsthey can be either literal or figurativee

Literal says, “the roses are red and yellow” while Figurative says, “you are just as beautiful as roses.”

Lack of comprehension of a sign can lead to misunderstandings...

The roses she saw yesterday... Ouch!

More Rhetorical Ideologies...

Signs Natural vs Conventional