Freshman Rhetoric (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1913 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XII ARGUMENTATION What can we reason, but from what we know?--Pope. Argumentation is exposition under fire. It is explaining something about which people disagree; seeking to overcome opposition or indifference by an appeal to reason. Exposition answers the questions, What do you know? What do you think? Argumentation answers the questions, How do you know it 1 Why do you think so? In Chapters I-VIII the materials and methods of ordinary exposition have been studied. Common uses of English in daily life, were next taken up, such as speeches for special occasions, letter-writing, and conversation. In all the kinds of writing and speaking so far considered the explanation of a subject has been the principal aim. The hearers or readers for whom this explanation was designed were sometimes thought of as indifferent and hard to rouse, but never as hostile. When, as in some of the business letters and some of the speeches for special occasions, disagreement was assumed, the presumption was that the disagreement rested upon a misapprehension as to matters of fact. It could be removed, we were confident, by supplying further information. But one of the commonest uses of English is to meet and overcome definite opposition. Every day we try to convince or to persuade people: to convince them that our view is correct; to persuade them to do that which they are disinclined to do. Argumentation in its simplest forms is practised in the daily conversation of almost everybody. The moment our assertions are challenged and we begin to support them, either by facts or by reasoning about facts, we have begun to argue. We may aim simply to defend ourselves against misrepresentation or ridicule; we may desire to bend the will of others to serve our pleasure or convenien...