A Political Thriller c. 63 BCE
Classroom Reflection (02/21/17) — Room | 02/21/17 | 12:00–1:30 pm
Dr. Sandridge began class by announcing, somewhat sarcastically, that there would be an implementation of a new class policy that students who are tardy to class must do a push-up for each minute they are late. Thus, seeing as I was eight minutes late, I was asked to do eight push-ups. I obliged, and Dr. Sandridge agreed to do them with me. After our quick workout, we began a class discussion on our module for the week titled “A Political Thriller c. 63 BCE.” We started by deliberating on the topic of rhetoric. Rhetoric, as we defined it, is the art of persuasion that is not always based upon fact. There are three main types of rhetoric — forensic (rhetoric to prove one’s guilt or innocence), epideictic (rhetoric of praise or blame), and deliberative (rhetoric to win someone over). We took these three types of rhetoric and associated them with each module fittingly. Aristotle regarding the action of speaking up and delivering rhetoric as very courageous. He believed that it took among the same amount of courage to properly deliver a good speech as it did to win a battle. This reflects back on the notion that there are two places where men in the ancient world could earn glory — the battlefield (fighting) and the assembly (pubic speaking).
Classroom Reflection (02/16/17) — HSL | 02/17/17 | 1:00–2:30 pm
As per usual, we started class began class on Thursday with a quiz on the module for the week. After the quiz, we delved into a class discussion on the theme of image and how it pertained to the two most important figures of the module — Alexander the Great and Octavian “Augustus” Caesar. Alexander the Great seemed to always be portrayed as a charismatic leader, as is the case in the Alexander Mossaic. He was often with an anastol — a small piece of hair that stood up on his head. It adds a bit of whimsy to his image, making him, again, seem more charismatic. In the case of the mosaic, Alexander the Great is portrayed as the only soldier on the battlefield not wearing a helmet. He is wearing a breastplate that displays the image of the gorgon Medusa on it. This apotropaic image served as a symbol to ward off evil. These were two more instances of Alexander the Great being portrayed as a brave and enigmatic leader. More examples of these aspects can be seen in the portrayals of the Roman emperor Octavian Augustus. In sculpture, Augustus was often portrayed as a young, more handsome version of himself no matter the point of life he was at when the art was being created. In one such statue, Augustus is portrayed with a small, fat Cupid, which is meant to symbolize the tracing of his lineage back to Venus. The importance of one’s image to a leader can be seen in the modern example of the current President of the United States, Donald Trump. He seems to be very compulsive about maintaining his image, from the stressing of his hair to his personally-ensured normally-sized hands.
Module: Step One — HSL | 02/18/17 | 7:15–9:15 pm
In the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a scene occurs where Scout, the protagonist young girl has a bad day at school and does not wish to return the next day. Her father, Atticus Finch, says the following, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” Such is the case with Lucius Sergius Catilina, more simply known as “Cataline.” Catiline was a Roman senator who came from humble beginnings. He was born to the Roman family gens Sergia, a family of considerable consular heritage but lacking in social and financial means. This fueled Catiline’s desire to return his family name to glory and to earn the spoils of riches for himself and others. Circa Rome in 63 BCE, it seemed as if he would have a perfect opportunity to do so.
At this time, Rome was in an economic downfall. Such aspects as decreases in trade and losses of tax revenue caused a heavier debt burden to be placed on the more financially prosperous Roman citizens. Meanwhile, the Roman senate became stagnant in its quest to find a solution to the financial crisis. Thus, the people of Rome desired a hero to save them from their troubles. Cataline attempted to seize the moment by running for the position of consulship in the election of 64 BCE. He seemed to be quite popular amongst the Roman citizens. This, as he would soon find out, was not the case. With such controversies as his extortion charges as the mayor of Africa and the mysterious deaths of his wife and son, Catiline’s campaign was shrouded in the eyes of most citizens; thus, the two other candidates, Marcus Tullius Cicero and Antonius Hybrida, came to light in the forefront of the race. Ultimately, the race ended with Cicero winning the position, Hybrida finishing second, and Catiline, who had essentially gone into debt funding his campaign efforts, finishing last in third place. This would not only Catiline to seek change through another avenue, but also to seek revenge against the man to whom he’d lost — Cicero.
Thus, Cataline formed the workings of a plan to overthrow the existing structure of government known as the Catilinarian Conspiracy. Catiline devised a plan to assassinate numerous government officials and topple the consulship in order to help a group of fellow aristocrats and disaffected veterans, and also the poor, alleviate their financial troubles. Cicero would catch wind of this plot and ultimately foil it before Catiline could properly execute it.
Module: Step Two — HSL | 02/21/17 | 1:30–3:00 pm
The earliest forms of rhetoric can be taken back to the days of sophistry. Sophists would practice the art of persuasion by sharing their wisdom with their audiences. However, some did not see it this way. Such wise men as Socrates and Plato argued that the sophists were not all that wise; rather, they were good at structuring their arguments to sound wise and get their audiences to believe them. Socrates and Plato also objected to the fact that sophists charged for their services, for true wisdom and nobility, they felt, should be shared without a fee. Aristotle then developed some rules on effectively using rhetoric to speak to a crowd. He used the three principles of ethos, pathos, and logos to appeal to a crowd and convince them to believe in your side of the argument. Aristotle believed that an arguer should be ethical in argument (ethos), appeal to emotion (pathos), and ultimately build trustworthiness with the audience through being ethical (logos). Later on, Cicero would write his own text that would examine the proper principles of rhetoric. Titled De Inventione, Cicero’s text present five cannons, or aspects, of argument that were deemed necessary to effectively win any argument without fail; these five cannons were invention — creating ways to be persuasive, arrangement — structuring an argument effectively, style — presenting an argument so as to appeal to emotion, memory — speaking extemporaneously, and delivery — effective presentation. Understanding the origins of Cicero’s knowledge for rhetoric can help explain why his methods were so effective. Cicero studied the classics and classic rhetoricians in order to better understand their principles and methods of effective rhetoric. By studying the sophists and philosophers of ancient Greece, then by studying the principles laid out in Aristotle’s The Art of Rhetoric, Cicero was able to take all of these ancient Greek principles and bring them into Roman culture and society. Another influential principle in Cicero’s thirst for knowledge on the subject of rhetoric was the movement called Stoicism. Stoicism was a movement that developed after Aristotle in Greece and that was rooted in the notions that the universe is rational and orderly. It is believed by the stoics that this order is produced by a god who is impending and unwavering in his maintenance of the universe. Not only do they believe in the order of nature, but also in the order of common humanity. These two beliefs deeply influenced stoics’ beliefs on what should be principled in political, natural, humane order. Stoicism also heavily influenced Cicero and ancient Rome.
Module: Step Three — Room | 02/22/17 | 9:00–11:00 pm
Marcus Tullius Cicero was a student of rhetoric. He believed, as many of the Greek sophists and philosophers of the Hellenistic period believed, that rhetoric was a key tool in capturing the support of an audience. His elevated skill in the art of rhetoric is what greatly separates him from Catiline, and what ultimately wins him the top spot in the political race for consulship in BCE. Cicero was the product of a wealthy family from Arpinum — a town just outside of Rome. Thus, he was more privy to learn the principle of rhetoric than Catiline. Cicero pursued a career in law as a public defendant. He utilized his knowledge and practice rhetoric in the courtroom, gaining a reputation for his skills in the process. These skills would come in handy when he went up against Catiline and Antonius Hybrida in the elections for consulship in 64 BCE. Cicero, as can be seen in many cases of modern politics, diverted attention away from himself and his campaign by utilizing his rhetoric to bring into question the character of Catiline. Utilizing the controversies of Catiline’s extortion charges and the mysterious deaths of his family, Cicero was able to drastically lower the popular opinion of Catiline in the race. Thus, what looked to be a sure win initially turned into a finish in last place for the Roman senator of patrician descent. After losing the election, Catiline conspired against the elected consulship in an attempt to free the poor of their overbearing burden of debt. Cicero caught wind of this conspiracy, and was able to foil Catiline’s plans before he could execute them. Cicero would utilize his rhetoric once again to incriminate Catiline and convince the senate that his conspirators should be put to death without a trial. He convinced them of this, even despite a protest against it from Rome’s “dictator for life” — Julius Caesar.
Once Catiline heard of the assassinations, he fled Rome for he knew his fate. He did not make it far, however, before he was cut off by the Roman army and executed.
Of all his numerous endeavors as an orator, writer, and poet, Cicero held that his greatest achievement was defeating Catiline and his plot to take down the Roman republic. In my opinion, this shows that there existed a fierce rivalry between Cicero and Catiline, in which both sides wanted to cause the downfall of the other.
