Isocrates, the first writing teacher, opened a school of rhetoric in Athens before Plato. He emphasized writing for a moral purpose and believed that even the less talented could be taught good writing. Isocrates’ commitment to pan-Hellenism served as a model for students learning to write, and his school became the model for the subsequent rhetorical schools of the Romans. He wanted writing to be practical and clear, not an oratorical display or dialectical form. Isocrates is the father of modern composition.
Isocrates was the first writing teacher we have memory of. Records approximate his birth in Greece in 436 BCE, and his approximate death, in 338. What is clearly known about Isocrates is that he opened a school of rhetoric in Athens around 393. His school predates that of Plato. Once Plato had founded his school, Isocrates’ school came under intense attack first by Plato, then by Aristotle.
Unlike most rhetorical schools of the times taught by itinerant sophists, Isocrates defined himself against the sophists. His first work is entitled Against the Sophists and he later takes up the subject again in Antidoses and the Helena. He wanted rhetoric and speeches reserved for a moral purpose, just like Aristotle. However, Aristotle would accept only those who exhibited talent, and Isocrates felt that even the less talented could be taught the fundamentals of good writing.
Isocrates may have emphasized writing over speaking because he was notably a very poor speaker with a weak voice. He was also reportedly shy. Unlike the sophists, his school advertisements were not public demonstrations of his oratory powers, but rather, pamphlets touting his methods and his philosophies.
Plato and others were suspicious of writing for several reasons that Isocrates did not share, although he may have actually studied with Socrates. Oral tradition was the primary means of transmitting culture in ancient Greece, so writing was suspect. Furthermore, Plato believed that books could easily fall into the wrong hands and be misinterpreted, so writing down knowledge was a dangerous practice.
Isocrates conversely believed that writing was an important act in itself that should be taught. Much of Isocrates’ later writing is in the form of letters sent to rulers imploring them to promote the idea of a united Greece and to end the wars between city-states. His commitment to pan-Hellenism served as a model for students learning to write. Writing was not only an exercise to improve conversation, it was also important as an activity of the everyday citizen.
Isocrates, in his concept of writing with purpose, is much imitated in current schools of thought on writing. Young students are often encouraged to write letters to newspaper editors, or letters of complaint or praise to companies. Teaching writing with a purpose, instead of the usual “theme” essays of the past, is meant to help emphasize that real writing can have real results, and is not solely the purview of those who wish to write for a living.
As a teacher, Isocrates was deeply interested in not only teaching practical writing but also helping young people to actively contribute to society once they became citizens. His school became the model for the subsequent rhetorical schools of the Romans. He underlined his political agenda, to work steadily towards a unified Greece, yet his school is notable as truly the first of its kind.
Unlike the sophists, Isocrates wanted writing to be practical, and not be the sophists’ kind of oratorical display, nor the dialectical form taught by Plato and later by Aristotle. He saw the need for clear writing of both political treatises and letters. His work is extensive and has been much preserved, mainly representing short arguments and letters. Unfortunately, there is no direct record of his teaching methods, only what can be deduced from his writings.
Isocrates is often ignored when examining the schools of ancient Greece. He tends to represent the middle ground between the sophists and the schools of Plato and Aristotle. Recent scholarship has redirected interest in Isocrates, as he can aptly be called the father of modern composition.
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