From Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale

People disappear when they die. Their voices, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living mempry of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continut to exist. We can rediscover them. Their humour, their tone of voice, their moods. Through the written word they can anger you or make you happy. They can comfort you. They can perplex you. They can alter you. All this, even though they are dead. Like flies in amber, like corpses frozen in ice, that which according to the laws of nature should pass away is, by the miracle of ink on paper, preserved. It is a kind of magic.

--Diane Setterfield



Friday, August 24, 2007

Rhetorical Assignment One... assigned to myself , by myself

" Directions for Composition
Discuss the pros and cons of real, historical, or even fictitious laws. Use the following headings:
  • legality
  • justice
  • expediency
  • practicability
  • decency
  • consequences

Example
Apthonius provides the example of opposing a law that requires an adulterer, taken in the act, to be killed."



Again it was REALLY slow in my office today. It was fun. Everyone was in a good mood because we made our numbers for the week and it is Friday.


But by three I had ALL my work done, my boss had left and I was Rhetoric-ing. I saw the above as an example of what the ancient students of classical rhetoric (Roman to Renaissance) would do. I was inspired. I went to the work room got a letter sized pad of ruled paper and started listing the pros and cons... I got confused an had to clarify at the top of the page who my audience is: Atheist children... I was going to do legislature... but that would be too hard... and I was going to do Christians or religious people... but that would be too easy.



I'm not nearly done with my first draft. I was reading up on another site and got discouraged because they would all do it as a class and try and better from the next student's arguments and consiceness... but I'm stuck with myself.


Perhaps I'll post it here when I'm done and the internet will act as critiques..



PS. Christy just texted me and I chatted with her for a while, it was REALLY fun. If you read this, Christy, "I love you" . < that dot is me waiving at you, only I'm SO far away that you can't see me well...

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1 comment:

Allison @ House of Hepworths said...

Wow, so that was either mostly over my head, or just really boring. I'm not very deep I guess. :)

September 1, 2007 at 8:03 PM

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