Page 143 - Šolsko polje, XXX, 2019, št. 5-6: Civic, citizenship and rhetorical education in a rapidly changing world, eds. Janja Žmavc and Plamen Mirazchiyski
P. 143
Slovenian Experience with Rhetoric
in Primary Schools*
Igor Ž. Žagar
According to rather anecdotal sources (Farenga, 1979, pp. 1035–36),1
in the 5th century BC (467–66) the city of Syracuse was domi-
nated by Gelon and Hieron, the most brutal tyrants. As the Syr-
acusans were being reigned over so brutally and inhumanely and, so the
legend says, prayed to Zeus to free them from that bitter servitude. Zeus
freed the Syracusans from the tyranny. Consequently, the Syracusan peo-
ple’s Assembly decreed to have control over everything. However, a per-
son named Corax, possibly a member of the overthrown regime, saw that
the people were an undisciplined crowd, and figured that speech may give
structure to a person’s character; so, he made sure to persuade and dis-
suade the people for their own good by means of speech.
What seemed of prime importance was the land. Namely, Gelon and
Hieron took the land from their owners and distributed it to their mer-
cenary soldiers; now that they were overthrown, the land had to be resti-
tuted to their original owners. But so, the misty sources say, there were no
written records, there was no cadaster. Therefore, it was decided that peo-
ple who wanted their land back had to appear in front of the Assembly,
and persuade it only by speaking (speech) that a particular piece of land
belonged to them. Some of them succeeded, some of them did not, I be-
lieve. I am also guessing that those who were more eloquent, and knew
their way with words (how to do things with words), even got back more
* This paper is a revised version of a keynote lecture given at the 1st Panhellenic Conference
on Rhetoric: ”The Art of Speech in Didactic Practice. In Search of Modern Aspects of
Rhetorical Paidea”, Athens, Alimos, 9–10 February 2019. The original version is to be pub-
lished in the proceedings, some time in 2019.
1 There are several versions of this story. See also Kennedy, 2009.
141
in Primary Schools*
Igor Ž. Žagar
According to rather anecdotal sources (Farenga, 1979, pp. 1035–36),1
in the 5th century BC (467–66) the city of Syracuse was domi-
nated by Gelon and Hieron, the most brutal tyrants. As the Syr-
acusans were being reigned over so brutally and inhumanely and, so the
legend says, prayed to Zeus to free them from that bitter servitude. Zeus
freed the Syracusans from the tyranny. Consequently, the Syracusan peo-
ple’s Assembly decreed to have control over everything. However, a per-
son named Corax, possibly a member of the overthrown regime, saw that
the people were an undisciplined crowd, and figured that speech may give
structure to a person’s character; so, he made sure to persuade and dis-
suade the people for their own good by means of speech.
What seemed of prime importance was the land. Namely, Gelon and
Hieron took the land from their owners and distributed it to their mer-
cenary soldiers; now that they were overthrown, the land had to be resti-
tuted to their original owners. But so, the misty sources say, there were no
written records, there was no cadaster. Therefore, it was decided that peo-
ple who wanted their land back had to appear in front of the Assembly,
and persuade it only by speaking (speech) that a particular piece of land
belonged to them. Some of them succeeded, some of them did not, I be-
lieve. I am also guessing that those who were more eloquent, and knew
their way with words (how to do things with words), even got back more
* This paper is a revised version of a keynote lecture given at the 1st Panhellenic Conference
on Rhetoric: ”The Art of Speech in Didactic Practice. In Search of Modern Aspects of
Rhetorical Paidea”, Athens, Alimos, 9–10 February 2019. The original version is to be pub-
lished in the proceedings, some time in 2019.
1 There are several versions of this story. See also Kennedy, 2009.
141
