Presents an account of rhetoric that presumes and incorporates theoretical approaches, offering a collection of principles assembled in the heat and trials of public practice. The essays are inspired by the capacious conception of rhetoric put forth by historian of rhetoric Jeffrey Walker, best known for stressing rhetoric’s educational mission.
This composition text focuses on argument and persuasion using examples, exercises, readings, and writing assignments. The text guides students through developing a thesis, finding and organizing evidence, and writing and revising several different types of argumentative papers. The second edition de-emphasizes the language of formal logic, and all the readings, examples, and exercises have been updated. Additional coverage has been given to refutation. It is widely used in both advanced composition and second semester freshman courses.