Cicero, in de Inventione, says that “wisdom without eloquence does too little for the good of states but eloquence without wisdom is generally highly disadvantageous and is never helpful” (I.i). What does he mean by this? What do the ancients mean by “wisdom” and “eloquence”? What role does instruction in the art (techne) of rhetoric contribute to the development of an ideal orator? What does the orator need to know? How does one become a perfect orator? You may consider this in the context of Roman rhetoric or of Renaissance humanism.
Microthemes feature a small amount of writing preceded by a large amount of thinking, so you shouldn’t try to answer all of these questions in such a short essay. Instead, focus on a particular aspect of these question and develop it more depth. You should draw mostly from Cicero’s de Oratore and Quintilian’s Institutio Oratoria in supporting your arguments, since those works take up the relationship among wisdom, eloquence, and citizenship most directly. Think carefully about your answer before you start writing. That way, you will be able to explain your position thoroughly even in a very short essay. You should also base your answer on the course readings, rather than on our contemporary defintions of terms such as “wisdom” and “eloquence.” You will most likely find it helpful to quote briefly from the course readings to support your claims, but most of the essay should be your original ideas.
Writing strategies: Be sure to develop a clear thesis for your essay. Often, you will not be able to clearly frame the thesis until after you have begun (or even concluded) a draft of your essay, so be sure to leave time for revision. Revision is especially important when you are writing a short but dense essay. Be sure to support your claims by referring to the course materials. Be sure also to write in academic voice that is neither pompous and formal nor conversational and chatty. Do not write in the second person (addressing your readers as “you”). Be very careful to document accurately and correctly. If you are referring to assigned course readings, you need only provide the author or title and page or line number (e.g. Kennedy 62; or Gorgias 464b2-d9). You should provide a reference for any other sources you choose to cite, though additional sources are not necessary. Any references to additional sources should follow MLA form. Don’t try to guess about proper form; look it up in the MLA Handbook, 8th ed. Please be sure to include a word count as part of the heading of your essay. Remember that it is the word count (excluding headings and any references) that determines the length of your essay, not the number of pages. Essays that are too long or too short may receive a lower grade.
Grading: Be sure to look at the Criteria for Evaluating Written Work while preparing your essay. In addition to the general criteria for written work you will be evaluated on the extent to which you provide insight into the issues you address, as well as your ability to effectively integrate course concepts and your observations into an essay.
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