Peroation

     In chapter nine of the Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students there is a detailed description as to how arguments were made. The beginning middle and end all have specific names and specific ways in which they should be done (according to Cicero). The part that caught my attention was when the Peroation was discussed. The Peroation is the ending part of an argument and is supped to do three things: summarize, excite indignation and arouse pity or sympathy. This brought me back to when we did the imitatios assignment because the very last part of what I imitated did just that. I remember feeling like I was guilt tripping the audience, for not always agreeing with me.
     I also really appreciate how a rhetor is "supposed" to end an argument using pathos. In my second essay I discussed how important pathos is when making arguments and how it can be lost when reading off of a piece of paper versus speaking to the audience face-to-face. I have always thought conclusions to be important because they are what stays the most fresh in someones mind. The summary serves the purpose of keeping the argument fresh. The second step of exciting indignation reminds the audience how they should feel about the opposing side and the third step, arousing pity and sympathy for the rhetor's own cause gives the anger a purpose.
     It's hard for me to find modern-day examples of perfect Peroation. What first comes to mind is this movie that I watched a couple of years ago called Charlie Bartlett. It was one of the last parts of the movie and the main character had to give a speech that seemingly hit all of those points. At the end he did all three steps but he also did a call for action--which is something that is not included in Peroation.