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The Five Canons of Rhetoric | Sutori

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Chloe Avino

The Five Canons of Rhetoric

What are the five canons of rhetoric?

The five canons of rhetoric serve as a guide for effective communication. The canons date back to Roman rhetoric and were brought together by philosopher and orator Cicero in around 50 BC. The Roman rhetorician Quintilian also discusses the Five Canons in depth in the textbook Institutio Oratoria. Originally, the canons were used as a developmental process for turning an idea into an effective oration to an audience because public speaking was so important. The canons have proven to be a useful step-by-step process in preparing and delivering speeches, written works, or visual presentations that effectively persuade an audience. Not only are they used to deliver ideas, but they can also be used to judge effective rhetoric. These five skills are necessary to have effective communication and presentations.

The five canons of rhetoric are: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery.

What is the purpose of each canon?

Invention

Invention, or inventio, is the first canon. This is the process of inventing an idea. Invention includes brainstorming what you want to say, thinking about the audience you want to persuade, and refining the details of your argument. This canon is the foundation of developing an effective argument. The elements of "rhetorical situation" which include: audience, genre, stance, purpose, and design can help the presenter to come up with the main ideas and supporting points that they want to make. When communicating ideas with others, you should have a clear understanding of your main message, who you are trying to reach, and how you plan to spread your message. An example of this is when politicians come up with the main points they are going to make in a debate before planning out how they will present their ideas.


Did you know?

Invention is considered one of the most difficult steps in this process. Anyone wishing to communicate starts with nothing and has to build off of the first idea that comes to mind. If a person is having trouble coming up with ideas, they wont be able to make it past this step. Invention is the backbone and framework for the other canons.

Did you know?

Aristotle's three persuasive appeals are important concepts to understand when using rhetoric. The three appeals are: ethos, logos, and pathos. These appeals are an essential aspect of effective communication along with the canons.

Arrangement

The second canon is arrangement, or dispositio. This is the process of organizing ideas. The main objective of this step is to determine the best way to present your ideas and convince the audience. Developing a thesis, choosing the format, determining the order in which ideas are presented, gathering proof and supporting evidence, and creating opening and closing arguments all play an essential role in this step. Aristotle's idea of "logos" falls under arrangement. Logos is the use of logic and reason to persuade the audience. Having a logically ordered, factual, and well-reasoned argument will majorly aid in persuading others. Arrangement is a key step that sets up the framework for a speech or composition and helps to build a hard-hitting argument. An example of arrangement is when students are asked to create an outline before writing a paper.

Style

Style, or elocutio, is the next canon of rhetoric. Style can be defined as the choices made that impact the audience. The words, rhetorical techniques, and linguistic tools that a speaker or writer uses fall into this category. This canon is about the ways in which the audience can be influenced through language. The vocabulary, sentence structure, and expressions used will affect the audience's perception of the ideas presented. Any analogies, stories, tropes, figures of speech, vocabulary, or the tone will be decided in this phase. This step falls under Aristotle's persuasive appeal "pathos". Pathos is the use of emotional appeal to get people to do something. When a person is presenting their ideas, they can choose to make it humorous, exciting, unsettling, or serious to evoke emotions or reactions from audience.. The stylistic choices that the presenter uses will greatly impact the delivery of their ideas.

Memory

Memory, or memoria, is the fourth canon. This is the process of learning and memorizing the content. This step mainly applies to oral presentations, but it can be applied to writing as well. Presenters should work to memorize the entirety of their speech including any facts, quotes, or literary references. Being able to present ideas fluently and with an understanding of the content will make the impact of the argument much more powerful. Knowing about the subject and it's context will further persuade the audience and show that you are confident in the ideas being expressed. This step also aids in improvising and answering questions from the audience or any person who asks questions. An example of this is if a student were to memorize a majority of their presentation and only keep a few bullet points to look at while sharing it with the class.

Delivery

The last canon is delivery, or actio, which is the process of presenting a speech or composition. Delivery is about putting all of these elements together to present the message in the best possible way. Delivery is not just about getting all of the facts straight and having an organized speech or composition, but it is also about gestures, eye contact, pronunciation, pitch, speed, tone, projection, props, and more. Most of these elements apply to an oral presentation, but when writing the delivery of a text is just as important. Proper punctuation, formatting, length, tone, and more help to deliver a piece of writing. Ethos is established through this step, as well as memory. Being professional, showing genuine interest in what is being presented, and making a presentation interesting through actions will help to convince the audience of your credibility.

The five canons of rhetoric are still used today and are a relevant tool for communication. The canons are interconnected and each step plays an important role in the process of developing ideas. The canons can be used in a variety of settings and for many forms of communication including speeches, formal reports, resumes, and even videos.


Quiz

Which canon involves the organization of ideas?

  • style
  • memory
  • delivery
  • arrangement
  • invention

Forum

Why do you think the five canons of rhetoric have withstood time and remained such a useful tool for communication? Can you think of a time where you have used any or all of the canons? Which canon do you think is the most useful?