Blog 8

ARCS Ch 9 discusses how important arrangement is, saying that it is only second to invention in importance when it comes to rhetoric.  While I believe arrangement is important, I don't know if it deserves the importance that the book is giving it.  I do think good arrangement can strengthen an argument, especially when it comes to stating the position of the opposing side and then refuting it with evidence, but I think this is something many people do naturally.  I think many strengths in rhetoric are things that people do whether they mean to or not.  Not that good writing can't be learned, but I think some people are better at argumentation than others and some of that comes from a tendency to arrange things well.  We are reading Burke in my other rhetoric class and I think that is a perfect example of how arrangement is not as important as ARCS claims it is.  Burke has horrible arrangement and his work must be read many times for it to be thoroughly understood, but he is considered to be the most influential rhetorician of the 20th century.