The rhetorical roots of Patriarchy in Quintillians text Institutio Oratoria - Essay Example

lian’s book titled the “Intitutio Oratoria” which simply means the Orators education is generally a series of twelve books based on the practice of rhetoric in the ancient Roman world. From the onset, Quintilian argues that the Rhetoric education of an orator begins as a young boy. This statement clearly indicates that Quintilian did not recognize women in his definition of student and man throughout the texts. Generally the first parts of the book “Intitutio Oratoria” comprehensively discuss the basics of pedagogical rhetoric (book 1, p, 63).

Although the text was largely based on the practice and theory of rhetoric, Quintilian also discussed a number of aspects of pedagogical development in the context of the early roman culture. Throughout the book, Quintilian openly emphasizes on the importance of educating boys and attempts to base his arguments on the beliefs in the paternal importance in the ancient Roman culture. This is particularly evidenced at the beginning of the first book when Quintilian suggests that “As soon as a son his born, the father should always have the best expectations on him” (Quintilian 1.9.3).

According to Quintilian, the education of a child largely depended on the nurse, tutor, and grammarian. In the ancient Roman society, all these workers were usually slaves and were therefore considered inferior in the society. Women included the mother only played a minimal role in the child’s development compared to the paternal role of the father. This paper critically analyzes the post colonial aspects of Quintilian’s arguments in the book “Institutio Oratoria” with particular emphasis on how the exclusion of women in the author’s definition of man and student.

One of the likely indications that Quintilian excluded women in his idea of education is the fact that he did not make any reference to female education in the entire book apart from his hint that “Parents should have the best education as possible” (book 1,