Writing & Rhetoric Encomium & Vituperation : a Creative Approach to the Classical Progymnasmata

What is an encomium and a vituperation? An encomium is a short essay praising the virtues of someone or something; a vituperation is a critical essay that reveals faults. In addition to guiding students through the writing of their own essays of praise and criticism, this book also leads your students step by step through a research project about a fascinating person. While students are learning about a remarkable life, they will also be learning how to learn. This research is achievable and the natural next step as students gain the skills of reading a variety of texts on a research subject, taking notes, creating an essay from these notes, and citing their sources.

In this one-semester book, students will learn to:

-Discern the main idea

-Use hyperbole and thesis

-Incorporate background and supportive detail

-Understand the difference between the genres of biography and autobiography

-Note the good and poor qualities present in a person or event

-Contrast different behaviors after weighing their merits

-Craft effective conclusions that encourage readers either to emulate or avoid specific behaviors

-Learn to write a research paper in all its parts, including making notecards, outlining, integrating sources, and citing sources