The Classical Oration
Devised by Greek and Roman
rhetoricians two thousand
years ago for presenting cases
in courts or making speeches
to the senate
Cicero: Considered the greatest
of ancient Roman Orators
Adapted from everything’s an
argument by M. Gaines/2010
Still Relevant Today
Elements of classical oration still
influence our attitudes
toward persuasion,
especially political speeches
and debates, because the
oration taught speakers and
writers to think of arguments as
debates that have winners and
losers.
Sequence of Six Parts
• Exordium (from Latin “ to urge forward”): the
speaker/writer tries to win the attention
and goodwill of an audience while
introducing a subject or problem
•
•
•
•
Show importance of the issue.
Show how the issue affects the audience.
Show how the issue affects everyone.
Show how the issue affects the general good of the
community.
Narratio: Statement of the Case
• Narratio: The speaker/writer
presents the facts of the case,
explaining what happened
when, who is involved, and so
on. The narratio puts an
argument in context
Partitio
• Partitio: The
speaker/writer divides
up, or partitions, the
subject, explaining what
the claim is, what the key
issues are, and in what
order the subject will be
treated
Confirmatio:
Argumentsthat
Make the
Case
•Confirmatio: The
speaker/writer offers detailed
support for the claim, using
both logical reasoning and
factual evidence
Refutatio: Arguments constructed
to anticipate opposing arguments
• Refutatio: The speaker/writer
acknowledges and then refutes
opposing claims or evidence
Peroratio: The Conclusion
Peroratio: The speaker/writer
summarizes the case and
moves the audience to
action
Declaration of Independence
• Identify the structure of the Declaration of
Independence using the Classic Oration elements
• Use the following format:
Exordium: Begins, “When in the course…” and
explains why the document is necessary…
The Narratio follows… (quote from this section and
explanation)
Do this for the entire document – identifying the
classical oration element and a brief quote from
the section and an explanation