In the award-winning Writing & Rhetoric series, author Paul Kortepeter has thoughtfully and creatively recovered the proven method of the progymnasmata, a step-by-step apprenticeship in the art of writing and rhetoric. Writing & Rhetoric Book 4: Chreia & Proverb (Student Edition) is the fourth title in this 12-book series.
The word "chreia" (cray-a) comes from the Greek word chreiodes (cray-o-dees), which means “useful.” It is a short essay or remembrance that praises the author of a saying or proverb and shows why the saying is useful. This book employs all the skills of the preceding books in the series and teaches students how to write a six-paragraph essay on the basis of a saying or an action. The thinking and exercises occur within the framework of the stories in this book, which include wonderful historical figures such as King Arthur, King Alfred, Lady Godiva, King Canute, Omar Khayyam, and more.
The six-paragraph essay using the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) is arranged this way:
- Praise the author of the saying or proverb used in your chreia
- Restate the saying in your own words
- Explain why this is useful
- Contrast your example with another person in history
- Compare your example with another similar example in history
- Epilogue—conclude your essay
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