Common Text Abbreviations
Recent statistics show that a teenager sends about an average of 2,000 texts per month. The top 50 words sent on these texts include “BRB” for be right back, or “LOL” for laugh out loud, or “OMG” for oh my god. To some, the internet is literally taking over the world, and people would rather type and talk in abbreviations. Living in this fast-paced world, the youth today forget about the years ancient philosophers dedicated to composing such a rich language. Furthermore, these philosophers wrote scripts over scripts about the arts of writing and oratory.
Whether it be Aristotle and Plato in Greece or Cicero in Rome, these philosophers toiled to develop proper rhetoric. Born in 106 BC, Cicero is a Roman philosopher considered to be one of the greatest orators to date. In one of his famous works, the Catiline Orations, Cicero attacks Lucius Sergius Catilina by exposing his evil stratagems to the Senate of Rome.
In the Catiline Orations, Cicero exemplifies his oratorical skills. An orator, today, is defined in the Merriam-Webster as “one who delivers an oration”. Yet there are more attributes a person must acquire to be classified as a great orator. “A great orator must be a good man” (Ch 1, Quintilian’s Institutes of Oratory, Book 12) with integrity because he or she will defend what is right regardless of his or her beliefs. An orator must also be well-read whether that be understanding the laws, the procedures of the Senate, the terms of treaties, or other information related to the business of the state. In De Oratore, Cicero explains an orator fundamentally speaks to persuade the audience about the matters of concern, and he describes the process an orator must follow.
That since all the business and art of an orator is divided into five parts, he ought first to find out what he should say; next, to dispose and arrange his matter, not only in a certain order, but with a sort of power and judgment; then to clothe and deck his thoughts with language; then to secure them in his memory; and lastly, to deliver them with dignity and grace. [143] ( XXXI, De Oratare)
Cicero conglomerates each of these parts in his Catiline Orations. The debunker of Catiline causes a havoc in the city of Rome. After all, the elections are delayed and the consuls have gained absolute power to maintain order. Cicero gathers “the senate to meet in the temple of Jupiter in the Capitol, a place which was only used for this purpose on occasions of great danger” ( First Oration, Catiline Orations). Clearly, this scene illustrated is not a typical day in Rome.
In preparing for an oration, the first part is to invent thoughts to present. If Cicero has invited the Senate of Rome to the rarely visited temple of Jupiter, he clearly planned out what important details needed to be shared with the Senators. Cicero called the meeting after he received information on the nefarious acts of Catiline from Fulvia, who is a mistress of one of the conspirators with Catiline.
After figuring out the context, the next step, according to Cicero, is to set the material in such a way that it can be most persuasive. The senators are aware that they are present to strategize upon eradicating the danger set upon by Catiline, and Cicero furthers this common sentiment. He isolates Catiline out of the crowd as Cicero knows every man sitting in the room has anger towards Catiline. Cicero says, “Now, your country, which is the common parent of all of us, hates and fears you, and has no other opinion of you, than that you are meditating parricide in her case…” (First Oration). Cicero belittles Catiline, along with creating a feeling of unity and power amongst the rest of the men sitting in the room.
Cicero also goes on to make himself an emblem of Rome. He implicitly reminds the senators that Rome is more than a piece of land; it is their motherland. The senate knows of the harms Catiline is bringing about, yet they chose to do nothing, which is unjust to the land that gave them everything. Cicero evokes the pathos of his audience by making them feel ashamed of themselves for not doing their duty. He persuades the senate to think of themselves, not as individuals, but as a unit to act together against Catiline.
The art of oratory consists of using proper diction. Cicero provokes the audience through his language, by alluding to the holy spirit. Cicero references God to remind the audience the pious land of Rome is currently polluted. “O ye immortal gods, where on earth are we? in what city are we living? what constitution is ours?” (First Oration). A change must be brought about so that Rome could be restored back to its original condition. Cicero points out they cannot allow one man to cause “destruction and devastation [to] the temples of the immortal gods, the houses of the city, the lives of all the citizens; in short, all Italy” (First Oration) live.
The last part of Cicero’s formula is to commit the oration to memory and present it with grace. Examining the different illustrations available for the occurrence today, Cicero is shown gracefully standing with a perfectly straight posture maintaining eye contact with his audience. Nevertheless, before presenting, Cicero believes it is important to, first, have experience in writing as this will give him/her an advantage in speaking.
“As, when a boat has once been impelled forward, though the rowers suspend their efforts, the vessel herself still keeps her motion and course during the intermission of the impulse and force of the oars; so, in a continued stream of oratory, when written matter fails, the rest of the speech maintains a similar flow, being impelled by the resemblance and force acquired from what was written.” (XXXIII, De Oratore)
While reading Cicero’s works, one of the writings coming to my mind was Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Like the Catiline Orations, “I Have a Dream” was also a persuasive speech on the emancipation of African-Americans addressing the entire nation. This speech was a landmark for not just African-Americans, but to all of America. As mentioned above, a recurring theme throughout Cicero’s writing were the religious references to Rome being the land of the Gods. Similarly, King portrays America as the land of dreams, freedom, and opportunity. Both authors attempt to unite people to fight for the cause they believe in, to make their respective countries a better place to live.
I personally found Cicero’s work very helpful and meaningful. Being a biology major, writing is not one of my strengths. The tips Cicero shares are applicable to both writers and orators even today. Simple points like presenting gracefully seem intuitive. However, while actually presenting, this is something that definitely comes with practice.
In our class reading, Writing for the Web, Felder advises her audience to keep sentences to the point or use descriptive language that engages the audience. Cicero mentions the importance of proper syntax while dressing it up with precise language. His writings essentially say they same thing in different words, which makes them timeless. Because Cicero’s ideas can be used for a variety of mediums he would not know would exist centuries later, I feel that they should be untouched as they are complete.