For some students, often boys, there is nothing worse than to be confronted with an open-ended writing. Classical education to the rescue! The mistake of many modern language arts classes is to fail to provide these reluctant writers with a template for organizing their ideas.
Inventio (Latin, invention) is the first of the five canons of rhetoric. It is a method for discovery what one wants to say, or more specifically, an approach that can help a person find how or what points they want to argue. It can be used for debate, but also for finding topics for papers, projects, and of course, open-ended writing prompts.
Two important devicesare:
Topos or Topics
Common topoi: comparisons of similarity, difference, or degree, definitions of things, divisions of things (whole / part), cause and effect, "hard evidence" like statistics
Special topoi: concepts such as justice or injustice, truth, or virtue.
Stasis - Helpful for clarifying issues in a debate
Did something happen?
What is its nature?
What is its quality?
What actions should be taken?
For examples of Inventio in action, look here.
Inventio at Wikipedia
Inventio at Wiki
Stasis at Everyday Writer
Rhetorica.net
Thursday, March 22, 2007
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Previous Latin Sayings of the Week
"Soli deo gloria." - For the glory of God alone.
Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit! - Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed!
"Lex malla, lex nulla." - St. Thomas Aquinas
"Cantantes licet usque (minus via laedit) eamus. " - Let us go singing as far as we go: the road will be less tedious.
"Caelitus mihi vires." - My strength is from heaven.
"Magnificat anima mea Dominum, et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo Salvatore meo" - My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior (Luke 1:45)
In Omnibus Ipse Primatum Tenens “That in all things He (Christ) might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:16-18)
"Qui bene cantat bis orat." - He who sings well, prays twice - (St Augustine)
"Nos fecisti ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te." - Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee. (St Augustine)
"Caelitus mihi vires." - My strength is from heaven.
"Ubi caritas et amor Deus ibi est." - Where there is charity and love, God is there.
"Nisi credideritis, non intelligetis ."
Unless you will have believed, you will not understand. - St Augustine
"Deo vindice" - With God as Protector
"Credite amori vera dicenti." - Believe love speaking the truth. (St. Jerome)
De vitiis nostris scalam nobis facimus, si vitia ipsa calcamus." - If we tread our vices under feet, we make them a ladder to rise to higher things. (St. Augustine)
Dei gratia - By the grace of God
Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum. - The Word of the Lord Endures Forever.
"Est autem fides credere quod nondum vides; cuius fidei merces est videre quod credis." - Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. (St. Augustine)
"Deo iuvante" - with God's help
"Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus." - That God may be glorified in all things
"Pax vobiscum." Peace be with you.
"Jubilate Deo." Be joyful in the Lord.
"Ille vir, haud magna cum re, sed plenus fidei." He is a man, not of ample means, but full of good faith.
"Facit enim mihi magna qui potens est." - For He that is mighty does to me great things.
"Oremus semper pro invicem." - Let us ever pray for each other.
"Distrahit animum librorum multitudo." - Seneca
A multitude of books distracts the mind.
"Nullam est nunc dictum, quod sit non dictum prius." - Terence
There is nothing said now, that has not been said before.
"Nosce te ipsum." - Plato
Know thyself.
"Non mihi, non tibi, sed nobis" - Not for you, not for me, but for us.
"Primum non nocere." - First, do no harm (Hippocrates)
"Est autem fides credere quod nondum vides; cuius fidei merces est videre quod credis." - Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. (St. Augustine)
"Deo iuvante" - with God's help
"Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus." - That God may be glorified in all things
"Pax vobiscum." Peace be with you.
"Jubilate Deo." Be joyful in the Lord.
"Ille vir, haud magna cum re, sed plenus fidei." He is a man, not of ample means, but full of good faith.
"Facit enim mihi magna qui potens est." - For He that is mighty does to me great things.
"Oremus semper pro invicem." - Let us ever pray for each other.
"Distrahit animum librorum multitudo." - Seneca
A multitude of books distracts the mind.
"Nullam est nunc dictum, quod sit non dictum prius." - Terence
There is nothing said now, that has not been said before.
"Nosce te ipsum." - Plato
Know thyself.
"Non mihi, non tibi, sed nobis" - Not for you, not for me, but for us.
"Primum non nocere." - First, do no harm (Hippocrates)
"Dei plena sunt omnia." - Cicero (All things are full of God.)
"Lex malla, lex nulla." - St. Thomas Aquinas
(A bad law is no law.)
"Cantantes licet usque (minus via laedit) eamus. " - Let us go singing as far as we go: the road will be less tedious.
"Caelitus mihi vires." - My strength is from heaven.
"Magnificat anima mea Dominum, et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo Salvatore meo" - My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior (Luke 1:45)
In Omnibus Ipse Primatum Tenens “That in all things He (Christ) might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:16-18)
"Qui bene cantat bis orat." - He who sings well, prays twice - (St Augustine)
"Nos fecisti ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te." - Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee. (St Augustine)
"Caelitus mihi vires." - My strength is from heaven.
"Ubi caritas et amor Deus ibi est." - Where there is charity and love, God is there.
"Nisi credideritis, non intelligetis ."
Unless you will have believed, you will not understand. - St Augustine
"Deo vindice" - With God as Protector
"Credite amori vera dicenti." - Believe love speaking the truth. (St. Jerome)
De vitiis nostris scalam nobis facimus, si vitia ipsa calcamus." - If we tread our vices under feet, we make them a ladder to rise to higher things. (St. Augustine)
Dei gratia - By the grace of God
Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum. - The Word of the Lord Endures Forever.
"Est autem fides credere quod nondum vides; cuius fidei merces est videre quod credis." - Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. (St. Augustine)
"Deo iuvante" - with God's help
"Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus." - That God may be glorified in all things
"Pax vobiscum." Peace be with you.
"Jubilate Deo." Be joyful in the Lord.
"Ille vir, haud magna cum re, sed plenus fidei." He is a man, not of ample means, but full of good faith.
"Facit enim mihi magna qui potens est." - For He that is mighty does to me great things.
"Oremus semper pro invicem." - Let us ever pray for each other.
"Distrahit animum librorum multitudo." - Seneca
A multitude of books distracts the mind.
"Nullam est nunc dictum, quod sit non dictum prius." - Terence
There is nothing said now, that has not been said before.
"Nosce te ipsum." - Plato
Know thyself.
"Non mihi, non tibi, sed nobis" - Not for you, not for me, but for us.
"Primum non nocere." - First, do no harm (Hippocrates)
"Est autem fides credere quod nondum vides; cuius fidei merces est videre quod credis." - Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. (St. Augustine)
"Deo iuvante" - with God's help
"Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus." - That God may be glorified in all things
"Pax vobiscum." Peace be with you.
"Jubilate Deo." Be joyful in the Lord.
"Ille vir, haud magna cum re, sed plenus fidei." He is a man, not of ample means, but full of good faith.
"Facit enim mihi magna qui potens est." - For He that is mighty does to me great things.
"Oremus semper pro invicem." - Let us ever pray for each other.
"Distrahit animum librorum multitudo." - Seneca
A multitude of books distracts the mind.
"Nullam est nunc dictum, quod sit non dictum prius." - Terence
There is nothing said now, that has not been said before.
"Nosce te ipsum." - Plato
Know thyself.
"Non mihi, non tibi, sed nobis" - Not for you, not for me, but for us.
"Primum non nocere." - First, do no harm (Hippocrates)
"Dei plena sunt omnia." - Cicero (All things are full of God.)
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