Walter, Otis M. “Plato’s Idea of Rhetoric for Contemporary Students: Theory and Composition Assignments.” College Composition and Communication. 35.1(Feb 1984): 20-30. (Available through JSTOR)

Otis M. Walter’s informative article “Plato’s Idea of Rhetoric for Contemporary Students: Theory and Composition Assignments” suggests several ways Plato’s theory of rhetoric can be incorporated into a contemporary college writing classroom as a definition assignment. Examining the concept of transforming values rooted in Plato’s theory of rhetoric, Walter asserts that as an adequate definition of a word determines a person’s effective rhetoric, so the adequate use of a definition assignment within the composition classroom can aid students in improving their own rhetoric and, therefore, their own writing skills. Providing three variant levels of definition assignments, Walter posits that basing an assignment on Plato’s theory of rhetoric can lead to improved critical thinking skills, writing improvements and better class discussions. Walter’s demonstration of the actual assignments that incorporate Plato’s theory of rhetoric directly address an audience of college teachers seeking various ways of incorporating classical and historical rhetoric into their composition classes. His purpose in this article is not only to posit that teaching classical rhetoric can work in today’s classroom, but to exhibit various ways in which his audience can use classical rhetoric in their instruction.

Walter’s article proves helpful on many levels to an instructor unsure of ways to incorporate classical rhetoric into a composition classroom. His detailed look at the theory of rhetoric Plato presents provides a means for readers unfamiliar with the theories of Plato to fully grasp the concept. In addition, the extensive examples Walter uses throughout his article solidify not only Plato’s theory, but also the theory inherent in creating rhetorical assignments. Walter’s decision to present not only the methodology behind the assignments, but the schematics of actual assignments allows novice instructors the chance to see how the methodology of classical rhetoric translates into physical assignments that can be used in their own classroom. Another helpful aspect of this article emerges in Walter’s decision to present various levels of difficulty within his assignments allows for the comprehension of how the assignment can be developed from the very basic to the most complex using the same methodology and theory. Overall, Walter’s article, from the in-depth examination of Plato’s theory of rhetoric to the implementation of this theory in current composition assignments, easily becomes an important text for new rhetorical instructors.