07.24.06 – Augustine: Patron Saint of Plagiarism

Trace 3 elements of St. Augustine's rhetoric back to earlier rhetors. Also, relate how your 3 to 10 minute "video" project for next week is coming along. You might list key definitions here of the concepts you're relating, as well as the context in which you see yourself using this "video." That is, it's useful for our class, but can it help you in your final paper, in your teaching, in your workplace?

Okay, my title is a bit harsh, and in truth, I don’t particularly buy it – I just wanted to get your attention ☺. But, given our Blog topic this week and looking around on the Internet, I was surprised by how many people make this accusation the St. Augustine plagiarized the ancient rhetors.

St. Augustine clearly uses ideas of earlier rhetors to strengthen, define, and even make his own points. In books I and II of On Christian Doctrine, he discusses the idea of things vs. signs. His discussion hearkens back to Plato’s concept of forms and that one item (a “sign” for Augustine) can represent a “thing” but that it is not the thing itself. For Plato, the individual cow was a sign, representing the cowness of the ultimate and single true cow.

In book IV, he writes, “… wisdom without eloquence is of small avail to a country, but that eloquence without wisdom is generally a great hindrance, and never a help.” (B/H 458). This reminded me of the point that Cynthia made last week in her discussion of the Rhetorica ad Herennium – that we can get so caught up in the eloquence, the style, that we can lose sight of the content. This concept also hearkens back to the discussion of the five canons. Basically, one can have great content (wisdom/invention) but no eloquence/style; in this way, the message will get across, but will be weak. Conversely, one could have brilliant, eloquent style (and delivery), but without decent content as a foundation, it is of little good to anyone.

St. Augustine also notes that the authors of the Holy Scriptures are the best models of eloquence, far excelling all others in the combination of eloquence with wisdom. In this way, it is not unlike what Cicero (I think it was) discussed about imitation and modeling existing expert rhetors to become an expert.

My video:
At the moment, it has really yet to happen. I have been focusing on writing the larger paper and was going to condense down for my video. In truth, my paper was to address all five canons (and podcasting) and my video was going to just address one canon for you all (delivery). However, when I began to write the paper, beginning with Delivery for the sake of the video, I quickly realized that addressing all five canons would either make for a nice 87-page paper or a painfully shallow 20 pager. Ergo, I have changed my paper topic to focus largely on the canon of delivery and podcasting. I have yet to decide if the video will focus on one portion of that or briefly address the whole paper, to give you an idea of many of the points I make.

In regard to the video being useful to me in some way beyond this course, I am not sure. I must acknowledge that my topic is on a form of new media and Delivery and that my video is certainly an example that. However, I doubt that point will make into this project, especially, as my paper is solely about the audio aspect of delivery. It also remains to be seen if the video will assist me with my paper. This point is, in part, due to the fact that I am trying to finish a first draft of may paper in the next couple nights and the video content will likely come from that.

However, the process of creating a video, which is pretty new to me, will definitely help me in the future. I have no doubts that I will use this tool as a means to deliver certain kinds of content in my class (not unlike the way that Rich does for us). I am somewhat intimidated to manufacture the video, since I have waited to the last minute to learn the process (will mostly get constructed next weekend), but I am extremely excited to do so, so that I may begin to use the tool for other purposes.