Invective (also known as ‘vituperation’) is language that denounces or casts blame on somebody or something. Invective can be highly abusive, such as A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy … Continue reading
Category Archives: Classical Writing Method
The Purpose of Language?
Persuasion The term ‘persuasion’ can be loaded. When we try to persuade someone, our persuasion may be loaded with our agenda, with our goals, and with our opinions—and that is a danger. It is a danger because we are flawed human beings. We make mistakes in our beliefs, … Continue reading
Discovering the Arguments: Artistic and Inartistic proofs
Disclaimer: At times I write what I would call an ‘advanced blog post’, one intended for those who have studied our advanced books. This is one such. When writing an essay you need to generate support for your thesis statement. … Continue reading
The Importance of Outlining
Generating an outline before working is not just a good idea, it is essential. Most of the thinking that goes into an essay should be done by the time the outline is written, so that when you actually sit down … Continue reading
Basic Rhetoric: The Canon of Invention and the Progymnasmata
Rhetoric has as its purpose to persuade. It is for the sake of persuasion that we educators torture our students with essay writing. We want them to be able to express their ideas persuasively and well. For the purposes of … Continue reading
To New Homeschoolers Part II
Reading and writing are the monarchs of learning. Classical education traditionally aimed at oral and written comprehension and expression. If you do not have command of your own language both to take in what others have expressed and to express … Continue reading
To New Homeschoolers part I
What is a classical education? Can you buy it in a box? Can you find a simple three step formula on how to teach your kids classically? No. Why not? Because being educated classically is being educated to THINK, and … Continue reading
Learning to think
So often, new moms using Classical Writing will ask on our message boards whether their students really need to outline. “My son already knows the story and can tell it from memory,” a mom will say. “Why bother with the … Continue reading
Posted in Classical Writing Method
Tagged Analysis & Imitation, Fable, Narrative, Writing Projects
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How we write Classical Writing
A lot of people have asked us how we ‘think up’ our lessons and writing projects for Classical Writing. To say we follow the ancient Greek progymnasmata doesn’t ring a bell with most of you. And why should it? Progym… … Continue reading