Reflection on Imitatio

Reflection of Imitatio

Before I began this assignment it was important for me to become familiar with the theory of imitation.  I stumbled upon a web document that detailed the mimetic theory. I found that “Human beings imitate each other in everything, including desire. As a result they choose the same objects and compete for them” (Girard).  This is a rather interesting concept to grasp because it refers to imitation as a result of competition. In this case, humans constantly emulate each other in everything they do; hence eventually, leading humans to reprisal.  After further understanding, I wanted to imitate a speech that incorporated the theme of war, and revenge. I decided to pick an ancient Roman speech performed by Alexander the Great around 335 B.C. in India.                                                                                                                                               While analyzing a short excerpt from Alexander’s speech, I established that he utilized one of Aristotle’s rhetorical devices quite frequently, pathos; thus making it fairly simple for me to begin to structure and develop my own replication of the dialogue.  To formulate an imitation of the original speech, the process I went through consisted of sentence by sentence reconstruction.  Therefore, I would take a section of the original and elaborate on specific details depending on the context of the sentence. Because this speech was based on war and revenge, the amount of pathos was easily identifiable, ultimately allowing me to write and perform my speech with great emotion.   For example, towards the beginning of the original speech when Alexander asserts, “You and I, gentlemen, have shared the labour and shared the danger, and the rewards are for us all” (Alexander), I justified this by positioning myself as a leader of my army (class), and we had just won a war against bed bugs. Overall, the whole procedure in regards of step one to this assignment was relatively unproblematic for me.  Subsequently, step two was the most enjoyable and erudite part of this assignment.                                                              As far as understanding the original speech by Alexander the Great, I researched that he had exhausted his army after conquering most of Greece and Egypt. But, through the art of rhetoric and persuasion, Alexander was able to convince his armies of a new battle that offered an even greater reward. I kept this in heavy consideration while I planned an emotional scheme to assist me in my presentation.  I took pride in performing my entire speech and I focused on providing the audience with excitement through the tone of my voice as if I were Alexander the Great himself.   I discovered that the experience of step two made me appreciate pathos as an extremely helpful tool in oral speaking. I found out that not only did the use of pathos intrigue my audience, but it allowed me to remain calm, confident, and compose myself in a manner to successfully present my speech. Although ancient rhetoric might seem obsolete today, it is still employed in all human discourse.                                                                                                                                            Today, the translation of ancient rhetoric to modern times has allowed humans to understand and use rhetoric not only in oral speaking, but in every aspect of culture. For instance, time and practice in the study of rhetoric has allowed humans to engage the field in different ways. Rhetoric is everywhere: advertisement, political campaigns, old war speeches, courtrooms, classrooms etc. However, the root of rhetoric and the rhetorical devices of persuasion (pathos, ethos, and logos), have remained the same. From the words of a well known rhetorician and Greek philosopher, Aristotle once urged, “…all men make use, more or less, of both; for to a certain extent all men attempt to discuss statements and to maintain them, to defend themselves and to attack others” (Bizzell, and Herzberg, 179). When confrontation arises, people assess from past experiences on how to successfully argue their point or defend themselves, depending on the given situation.  Human’s still do this today, and will continue to do this until the end of time. It is the human endeavor to constantly advance in their effectiveness of persuasion, but the essential theories of rhetoric from ancient times to present will always remain the same.  

References:

Bizzel, Patricia, and Bruce Herzberg. The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings From Classical Times    to the Present. 2nd ed. Boston New York: Bedford/St. Martin, 2001. Print.

Girard, Rene. "Account of Mimetic Theory." Imitatio. Rene Girard, 2009. Web. 20 Sep 2010.             <http://www.imitatio.org/about-imitatio/about-imitatio.html>.