Arrangement: Getting it Together

This reading focuses on arrangement and its role in rhetoric. The reading suggests that ancient rhetors agreed arrangement was the second part of rhetoric and second only to invention. This is all fine, but my opinion differs. Though I agree that arrangement is important I feel that there is an argument to be made that it is more important than invention. Firstly, on a side note any invention requires arrangement in itself in my opinion since the formation of rhetorical proofs stems from arranging extrinsic proofs in a manner that facilitates the furthering of intrinsic proofs.

That said, obviously arrangement isn't all that comes into play. Invention is also important, however I feel that the invention comes from the arrangement. Not the other way around. Though I have not fully been able to develop this idea I feel that arrangement in its most basic form is what creates not invention. We arrange letters into words and arrange words into sentences and so on. Ideas are arranged to invent something and the differing arrangement of ideas causes new rhetorical inventions. We use extrinsic proofs arranged properly to create logic, and form intrinsic proofs. I understand this is a bit of a generalized understanding that doesn't account for all factors but it seems like something is there.

Additionally, the reading suggests the more literal meaning of arrangement which would be introduction, narration, proof, and conclusion. This form of arrangement has different sub categories in each, however it seems a bit too literal. When I read something, and even more so when I hear something the arrangement is what I look to first. The invention or idea at any point in a speech or paper is never fully complete until nearing the end of the presentation. However if one were to look at it as a way of using check points to reach the invention we see the interdependence begin to form. Just like we spoke of in class today about the box office. One cannot know going into something what their opinion of it is. Again I understand that this idea isn't perfectly polished but it seemed more appropriate than merely regurgitating the words of the assigned reading onto my blog.