Office Of Assertion: An Art Of Rhetoric For Academic Essay

There are so many things wrong with this book that I don't know where to start. But, yes I do. There are 7 errors of fact and 3 contradictions in the first 8 pages. Aristotle said everything about Rhetoric that needed to said 2,400 years ago in a little essay entitled Rhetoric which has never been out of print. He wrote it to silence persons advertising themselves as Sophists (lovers of special knowledge) who had come to Athens from Greek hinterlands and Asia Minor to street-teach anyone willing to pay for their "secret sauce": how to prove BAD is really GOOD and GOOD is really BAD.Aristotle explained that Rhetoric is not knowledge, but mumbo-jumbo confidence job (think Houdini, modern street magic, or Las Vegas magic shows). Aristotle's explanation was later adopted by Greek trade schools in Rome who had found a ready market of thick headed Roman politicians and and lawyers. St. Augustine (poor St. Augustine gets blamed for everything) moved from North Africa to Rome (in youthful rebellion) to maximize his income, to become independent, and to carouse (long before his conversion to Catholicism). In short, Aristotle's explanation of the 5 steps to persuade anyone of anything became a crutch to Roman lawyers willing to pay for Aristotle and St. Augustine's brains and unfortunately survives as a substitute for knowledge. Snake oil lawyers and politicians: so what else hasn't changed.To write a good essay, all you need is a real teacher who cares enough for students to force them to take their incomprehensible gibberish first draft of pretentious nonsense and revise it, all semester if needed, until they get it right, from title, purpose, arguments, to conclusion. A shortcut is to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's 2-page letter to an aspiring young writer (I'm not going to source this; look it up, you'll feel better about yourself). It's free in any good search engine and it is all you will ever need (hint, hint; it helps if you've got something to say).

Many books have been written on the topic of writing. Still more have been written on the topic of rhetoric. I've read a handful of each, and I can confidently say that this book is one of the better ones I've read.The strengths of this book are many. I'll list only a few:1. It is clear, concise, and precise2. It is neither superfluous nor pedantic (if you don't know what those words mean, you'll have no trouble reading this book!)3. It is a great example of the author's own instructionsI could go on.To conclude: This is the perfect book to read if you're looking for a brief but serious rhetoric. It abounds with very helpful--and much needed--instruction for refining one's academic essay from start to finish. Although it was written primarily for undergraduate students, even graduates can profit from this book.So if you're soon to enter college, read this book! If you're going on to graduate school and want to refine your writing skills, read this book! If you just like reading and you want to read a fine example of the office of assertion, read this book!

Don't hesitate if you are thinking about buying this. Just do it. I promise you will not be disappointed. This is one of the finest little books on writing. Dr. Crider has taken the essence of classical rhetoric and condensed it into just over a hundred pages. This man is a genius; he also practices what he preaches in his beautiful invention, organization, and style that he uses in his wonderful book. I believe, if the world is just, this book is, like Strunk and White's useful book has become, destined to be a classic that will be taught ages and ages hence. Scott Crider has done Academia a great service in writing this book and deserves some type of award, e.g. best academic book of the year. Beautiful book. I have read it three times, and each time I found new and subtle gems.

This is an awesome book for those wanting to learn how to write better essays. It is a highly academic book and having a background of classical knowledge in relation to education is important if you were going to understand this Reid. It’s not a light read and I would highly recommend you plan for a decent span of time to work through it

I was delighted to find in such a tiny book such a wealth of useful information. Crider is an academic with a soul. His selection of Homer, in particular, was stylish and psychologically useful as well as technically appropriate. A harmony that results from discipline, that's what good writing is about. Crider shows you the way by encouraging the reader to write his own truth as he/she sees it. The caveat is this: Your truth should convey an "image of a writer who is intelligent, but not pretentious, well educated but not pedantic, and able to relax without becoming slack and slovenly" (p.75). In short, a soul leading style in a soulful little book.

Definitely a read for parents and students pre-high school

Lots of relevant information about using rhetoric in writing. A useful book

Great way to learn how to be more convincing in speech and writer form

Good and useful book. If you want to improve yourself as a person who writes or is able to write in the language of Shakespeare and C.S. Lewis, buy the book!