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Self - Assessment: Erica Onia Lesson 1: History of Public Speaking

The document summarizes the history of public speaking from 500 BCE to present day. It outlines 6 major time periods: 1) Classical Period where public speaking developed in Greece with figures like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle establishing foundations. 2) Romans like Cicero and Quintilian who emphasized oration's moral purpose. 3) Medieval Period saw suppression but Augustine advocated for rhetoric. 4) Renaissance saw focus on reason and accountability in speaking. 5) Enlightenment served as a bridge between past and present reviving Greek/Roman studies. 6) New School established communication as a formal field of study from 1900s onward.

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42 views3 pages

Self - Assessment: Erica Onia Lesson 1: History of Public Speaking

The document summarizes the history of public speaking from 500 BCE to present day. It outlines 6 major time periods: 1) Classical Period where public speaking developed in Greece with figures like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle establishing foundations. 2) Romans like Cicero and Quintilian who emphasized oration's moral purpose. 3) Medieval Period saw suppression but Augustine advocated for rhetoric. 4) Renaissance saw focus on reason and accountability in speaking. 5) Enlightenment served as a bridge between past and present reviving Greek/Roman studies. 6) New School established communication as a formal field of study from 1900s onward.

Uploaded by

Lemhar Dayaoen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Erica Onia

Lesson 1: History of Public Speaking

Self – Assessment
1 2

Time: 500 BCE – 400 BCE Time: 106 BCE – 95 CE


Event/Concept: The Classical Event/Concept: The Romans
Period

3 4

Time: 400 CE – 1400 CE Time: 1400 CE – 1600 CE


Event/Concept: The Medieval Event/Concept: The
Period Renaissance

5 6

Time: 1600 CE – 1800 CE Time: From 1900’s till today


Event/Concept: The Event/Concept: New School
Enlightenment
A Brief History of Public Speaking
Brief: Our current knowledge and practice of public speaking is built upon the Western tradition of ancient Greece
and Rome, and has developed until the present day.

Learning Objective: To identify key figures and milestones in the history of public speaking.

Key Terms:
• Sophist: One of a class of teachers of rhetoric, philosophy, and politics in ancient Greece, especially one
who used fallacious but plausible reasoning.
• Orator: A skilled and eloquent public speaker.

The Classical Period (500 BCE-400 BCE)


The ancient Greeks highly valued public political participation. Public speaking was a crucial tool in the
public arena.
Aspasia of Miletus (469 BCE), the “mother of rhetoric,” is believed to have taught rhetoric to Socrates.
During this period Pericles, the Athenian ruler and Aspasia’s partner, treated Aspasia as an equal and allowed her
every opportunity to engage in dialogue with the important and educated men of society.
Socrates (469-399 BCE) greatly influenced the direction of the Classical Period. Most of what we know
about Socrates comes from the writings of his student Plato.
Plato (429-347 BCE) wrote about rhetoric in the form of dialogues with Socrates as the main character.
Plato defined the scope of rhetoric according to his negative opinions of the art. Aristotle (384-322 BCE) is the
most famous Greek scholar.
Aristotle studied in Plato’s Academy where he later taught public speaking until Plato’s death in 347
BCE, when he opened his own school of politics, science, philosophy, and rhetoric. Aristotle divided the “means
of persuasion” into three parts, or three artistic proofs, necessary to persuade others: logical reason (logos), human
character (ethos), and emotional appeal (pathos).
The Classical Period flourished for nearly a millennium in and around Greece as democracy gained
prominence. Citizens learned public speaking from early teachers known as Sophists (400s BCE). Sophists were
self-appointed professors who taught their pupils how to succeed in the civic life of the Greek states. Concerned
about teaching others how to use the power of rhetoric for political manipulation, Plato criticized the Sophists.

The Romans: Cicero and Quintilian


Cicero (106-43 BCE) is considered one of the most significant rhetoricians of all time. Cicero is most
famous in the field of public speaking for creating the five canons of rhetoric, a five-step process for developing a
persuasive speech that we still use to teach public speaking today.
Quintilian (c. 35-95 CE) argued that public speaking is inherently moral. He stated that the ideal orator is
“a good man speaking well."

The Medieval Period (400 CE-1400 CE)


Though he lived in a time when public speech was often suppressed, St. Augustine (354 CE430 CE), a
Christian clergyman and renowned rhetorician, argued for the continued development of ideas that had originated
during the Classical Period. He thought that the study of persuasion, in particular, was a worthwhile pursuit for the
church.
The Renaissance (1400-1600)
Francis Bacon (1561-1626), a contemporary of Shakespeare, believed that the journey to truth is
paramount to the study and performance of communication. According to Bacon, reason and morality require
speakers to have a high degree of accountability, making it an essential element in oration.

The Enlightenment (1600-1800)


Overall, the Enlightenment Period served as a bridge between the past and the present. Political rhetoric
also underwent renewal in the wake of the American and French Revolutions. The rhetorical studies of ancient
Greece and Rome were resurrected in the studies of the era as speakers and teachers looked to Cicero and others to
inspire defense of the new republic. Leading rhetorical theorists, including John Quincy Adams, advocated for the
democratic advancement of the art of rhetoric.

New School (1900 –Today)


Throughout the 20th century, rhetoric developed as a concentrated field of study in high schools and
universities. During this time, schools established communication departments that teach classical rhetoric,
contemporary rhetoric, along with empirical and qualitative social science.

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