Definition of Commonplace in Rhetoric

Definition of Commonplace in Rhetoric The term commonplace has multiple meanings in rhetoric: Classical Rhetoric 1. In classical rhetoric, a commonplace is a statement or bit of knowledge that is commonly shared by members of an audience or a community.   Meaning of Commonplace in Rhetoric 2. A commonplace is an elementary rhetorical exercise, one of the progymnasmata. (See What Are the Progymnasmata?) 3. In invention, commonplace is another term for a common topic. Also known as  topoi (in Greek) and   loci (in Latin).Also see: Commonplace BookEnthymemeTopoiTopic Commonplace Examples and Observations Life holds one great but quite commonplace mystery. Though shared by each of us and known to all, it seldom rates a second thought. That mystery, which most of us take for granted and never think twice about, is time.(Michael Ende, Momo. Doubleday, 1985)[In John Miltons Paradise Lost, the devils] speech to the deities of the void is a deliberative oration; he seeks to persuade them to give him information he needs by pleading the advantage his mission will bring them. He bases his argument on the commonplace of regal power and imperial jurisdiction, promising to expel All usurpation from the new-created world and to re-erect there the Standard . . . of ancient Night.(John M. Steadman, Miltons Epic Characters. University of North Carolina Press, 1968) Aristotle on Commonplaces - The commonplaces or topics are locations of standard categories of arguments. Aristotle distinguishes four common topics: whether a thing has occurred, whether it will occur, whether things are bigger or smaller than they seem, and whether a thing is or is not possible. Other commonplaces are definition, comparison, relationship, and testimony, each with its own subtopics. . . . In the Rhetoric, in Books I and II, Aristotle talks about not only common topics that can generate arguments for any kind of speech, but also special topics that are useful only for a particular kind of speech or subject matter. Because the discussion is dispersed, it is sometimes hard to determine what each kind of topic is. (Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, The Rhetorical Tradition. Bedford, 2001) - [A]ccording to [Aristotle], the characteristically rhetorical statement involves commonplaces that lie outside any scientific specialty; and in proportion as the rhetorician deals with special subject matter, his proofs move away from the rhetorical and toward the scientific. (For instance, a typical rhetorical commonplace, in the Aristotelian sense, would be Churchills slogan, Too little and too late, which could hardly be said to fall under any special science of quantity or time.)(Kenneth Burke, A Rhetoric of Motives, 1950. University of California Press, 1969) The Challenge of Recognizing Commonplaces To detect a rhetorical commonplace, the scholar must generally rely on empirical evidence: that is, the collecting and evaluating of related lexical and thematic elements in the texts of other authors. Such components, however, are often hidden by oratorical embellishments or historiographical dexterity. (Francesca Santoro LHoir, Tragedy, Rhetoric, and the Historiography of Tacitus Annales. University of Michigan Press, 2006) Classical Exercise Commonplace. This is an exercise that expands on the moral qualities of some virtue or vice, often as exemplified in some common phrase of advice. The writer in this assignment must seek through his or her knowledge and reading for examples that will amplify and illustrate the sentiments of the commonplace, proving it, supporting it, or showing its precepts in action. This is a very typical assignment from the Greek and Roman world in that it assumes a considerable store of cultural knowledge. Here are several commonplaces that might be amplified: a. An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.b. You always admire what you really dont understand.c. One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels.d. Ambition is the last infirmity of noble minds.e. The nation that forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.f. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.g. As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.h. The pen is mightier than the sword.(Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors, Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 1999) Jokes and Commonplaces With some hermetic jokes what is required is not knowledge, or belief, in the first instance, but an awareness of what might be called commonplaces. A young Catholic woman told her friend, I told my husband to buy all the Viagra he can find.Her Jewish friend replied, I told my husband to buy all the stock in Pfizer he can find. It is not required that the audience (or the teller) actually believe that Jewish women are more interested in money than in sex, but he must be acquainted with this idea. When jokes play upon commonplaceswhich may or may not be believedthey often do it by exaggeration. Typical examples are clergymen jokes. For instance, After knowing one another for a long time, three clergymenone Catholic, one Jewish, and one Episcopalianhave become good friends. When they are together one day, the Catholic priest is in a sober, reflective mood, and he says, Id like to confess to you that although I have done my best to keep my faith, I have occasionally lapsed, and even since my seminary days I have, not often, but sometimes, succumbed and sought carnal knowledge.Ah well, says the rabbi, It is good to admit these things, and so I will tell you that, not often, but sometimes, I break the dietary laws and eat forbidden food.At this the Episcopalian priest, his face reddening, says, If only I had so little to be ashamed of. You know, only last week I caught myself eating a main course with my salad fork.​  (Ted Cohen, Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters. The University of Chicago Press, 1999) Etymology  From the Latin, generally applicable literary passage Also see: AdageAphorismArgumentationDiscourse CommunityMaximPlatitudeProverbSententia Pronunciation: KOM-un-plase

What a Fulgurite Is and How To Make One

What a Fulgurite Is and How To Make One The word fulgurite comes from the Latin word  fulgur, which means thunderbolt.  A fulgurite or petrified lightning  is a glass tube formed when electricity strikes sand. Usually, fulgurites are hollow, with a rough exterior and smooth interior. Lightning from thunderstorms makes most fulgurites, but they also form from atomic blasts, meteor strikes and from man-made high voltage devices falling onto the ground. Fulgurite Chemistry Fulgurites typically form in sand, which is mostly silicon dioxide. The melted sand forms a glass that is called lechatelierite. Lechatelierite is an amorphous material that is considered to be a mineraloid, similar to obsidian. Fulgurites come in a range of colors, including translucent white, tan, black and green. The coloration comes from impurities in the sand. Make a Fulgurite - Safe Method Fulgurites occur naturally, but there are a couple of ways you can make petrified lightning yourself.  Dont put yourself at risk of a lightning strike! The best way to make a fulgurite is to be safely indoors when its stormy outside. Check the weather forecast to find out when lightning activity is expected. Radar is good or refers to special maps for your area that record lightning strikes. You must complete preparation for a fulgurite several hours (or longer) before the storm arrives.Drive a lightning rod or length of rebar into the sand about 12 inches to 18 inches and extending up into the air. You can set up colored sand or some granular mineral besides quartz sand if you prefer. There is no guarantee lightning will strike your lightning rod, but you improve your chances if you select an open area where the metal is higher than the surroundings. Choose an area far from people, animals or structures.When lightning approaches, be far away from your fulgurite project! Do not check on whether you make a fulgurite until several hours after the storm has passed.The rod and sand will be extremely hot after a lightning strike. Use care when checking for a fulgurite so that you dont burn yourself. Fulgurites are fra gile, so dig around it to expose it before removing it from the surrounding sand. Rinse excess sand with running water. Rocket Fulgurites You can go the Ben Franklin route making a fulgurite by drawing the lightning down to a bucket of sand. This method involves launching a D model rocket toward a thunderhead that is estimated to be due to discharge. A spool of thin copper wire connects the bucket to the rocket. While said to be quite successful, this method is extraordinarily dangerous because the lightning doesnt just follow the wire back to the bucket. It additionally follows the wire and the area around it back to the trigger used to launch the rocket... and you! Simulated Lightning Fulgurites A safer, though someone expensive method, is to use an xfmr or transformer to force man-made lightning into silica or another oxide. This technique fuses the sand into lechatelierite, although it is much more difficult to achieve the branched effect seen in natural fulgurites.