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James Kinneavy Annotated Bibliography More Articles and Anthologized Continued

The obvious admiration Kinneavy has for Corbett expresses itself in this review of Corbett’s work. Kinneavy divides the selected essays into three different groups: historical, theoretical, and analytical. He notes the skill in which Corbett adapts historical texts, making them relevant in current times. Among some of the historical figures Corbett contemporizes are Newman, Swift, Locke, Isocrates, and Blair. Though Kinneavy does not criticize the book, he credits Corbett’s larger corpus, and in particular Kinneavy mentions articles Corbett has written for the NCTE, several textbooks addressed to students, and his addresses to the populace in popular weekly or monthly publications.

“Theory, Theories, or Lack of Theory.” Composition Chronicle. V, 4 (May 1992), 5–6.

This essay discusses the importance of kairos in Aristotle’s Rhetoric, a neglected concept. In part the reason for this neglect results from two different deficiencies, lack of concern with the term kairos and its near absence in indexes and concordances. However, recent technological advances, particularly the computer program PERSEUS, make it possible to study the usage of this term and its variations in Aristotle’s work, revealing how the term is related to the main themes in Rhetoric. Kinneavy defines kairos in contemporary terms and observes how Aristotle and the Greeks applied it. Examining 16 different passages in Rhetoric, the article connects kairos with legal, political, and ceremonial rhetoric, particularly as it applies to equity and honor. Next, in the pathetic argument, emotions such as love, benevolence, pity and fear are all subject to situational context or kairos. Kinneavy also demonstrates that while kairos can apply to Aristotle’s ethical argument, it does not necessarily apply to his logical argument. Finally, Aristotle’s application of kairos to style and organization is abundantly clear. This article challenges the notion that Aristotle did not always adhere to the Platonic ideal.

This essay, designed for high school and elementary teachers, begins with different definitions of the term rhetoric. Kinneavy, for the purpose of this essay, refers to rhetoric as the study of discourse in teaching language arts. This study includes the aims and modes and also reading, writing, speaking and listening. In the beginning, rhetoric, meaning persuasion, generally referred to legal and political convictions and found its historical roots in Greek antiquity; however, today persuasion covers any subject matter or topic. Providing a good explanation of the communication triangle, the essay covers the four appeals, the ethical, emotional, logical, and stylistic. In “Rhetoric and the Other Aims of Language,” the other three aims, expository, creative, and expressive, are identified and defined. The modes in discourse have a subordinate role to the aims though sometimes historically the modes dominated the theory of composition. Currently, composition writing in language arts has moved to a more “content area” subject matter approach (also synonymous with the WAC approach). Furthermore, studies on reading, listening, writing, and speaking ultimately show that the emphasis may be placed too much on reading and not enough on listening. Consequently, educational programs are trying to shift their writing programs to take these studies into account. The essay finally concludes with a definition of grammar as it applies to rhetoric. Over time, this definition has developed into one that considers only the structure of language; however, Kinneavy citing different studies notes that the formalized teaching of grammar does little to improve writing. After including a component of ethical writing in his composition courses at the University of Texas, Kinneavy has discovered that students lack the conceptual skills and the language necessary for writing about moral issues. He suggests that students have no access into ethical discourse because so many do not have any formal training in ethics. Instead, because of the influence of Nietzsche and some postmoderns, contemporary ethics promotes a completely individualistic approach to morality. Citing several groups and thinkers, Kinneavy notes the importance of developing a social ethic which centers around respect for life and shock at murder, sympathy for families, concern for the destruction of property, and solicitude for truth. By examining this social ethic from an anthropological view, Kinneavy observes that these same concerns are apparent in nearly every society across the globe. When implementing this social ethic in the classroom, Kinneavy remarks that there are some obstacles in motivating students to involve themselves in this ethical discourse. However, he suggests some different approaches which help students engage in the conversation in composition and literature.

This essay traces the uses of kairos as it developed from Greek antiquity through the Middle Ages and Renaissance into modern thought. Historically and currently, the concept of kairos has been neglected by rhetoricians. Kairos defined refers to the right or opportune time to enact something with the appropriate measure of action. It was the cornerstone of Gorgia’s epistemology and, eventually, Plato becomes concerned with kairos and its implied relativism to justice, law, and more specifically equity. Later, Aristotle will apply kairos to his pathetic, ethical, and logical arguments in Rhetoric. By examining kairos in Plato and Aristotle, Kinneavy’s conclusion contradict the notion that kairos did not exist in the philosophies of these two men.