The Importance of Invention

By Matt Bianco

What is the most difficult part of writing? Coming up with the idea, or topic, about
which to write, organizing the thoughts into a coherent essay, or choosing the right
words to communicate the messageeach of these are components in the art of
writing and difficulties we often face. These three pieces are identified in classical
rhetoric as the canons: Invention, Arrangement, and Elocution, or the more familiar
IEW terms for the latter two are Structure and Style. Whatever your difficulty, it will
fall into one of these three categories, and Classical Conversations seeks to help
parents and students overcome these difficulties.

Invention might be my favorite of the canons of rhetoric. The role it plays is integral
to the writing process, yet it seems to be the canon most of education ignores, or
rather assumes the student will just know how to do. In fact, we generally expect a
student to have completed the Invention canon simply by passively receiving the
assigned topic, Write a paper comparing Brutus to John Wilkes Booth. Thus, there
is a general tendency to ignore Invention, yet a growing movement to recover its
practice. Invention is an important art for four reasons: it aids in 1) the discovery of
ideas, 2) thoroughness of thought, 3) enrichment of discussions, and 4) integration
of thought.

First, let us consider that Invention aids in the discovery of ideas. The way The Lost
Tools of Writing presents Invention is extremely helpful, especially for young
writers. It gives them a step-by-step approach, with corresponding questions to ask,
to help them invent, or discover, all of the information they will need to be able to
communicate an idea or topic effectively in their writing. As they learn to ask the
right questions (about Definition, Comparison, Circumstance, Relationship, and
Authoritythese are explained more thoroughly elsewhere), they learn how to
discover information about their topic. Most of this discovery comes from
information they already know or have gleaned from literature (if they are writing a
paper about a book theyve just read, as is the case with The Lost Tools of Writing
assignments). They will, rather infrequently, need to Google for information.

Im going to let you in on a little secret of Invention, though. Look what happens
when we begin asking the right questions. Rather than simply completing the
necessary steps to have an idea about which to write, Invention secondly aids us in
thinking more thoroughly. In one of my Classical Conversations community
discussions, my Challenge IV students were discussing whether Hitler was a good
leader. Before too long, it became apparent that some of the students were talking
right past each other, when one of them asked the class to define leader. As the term
leader was defined, another student thought it would be helpful to compare Hitler
with others, like Stalin, Julius Caesar, and Abraham Lincoln. Then, a third student
began asking questions about the circumstances that saw Hitler come to power and
to exercise authority the way he did. Before long, they were considering the
relationship (cause and effect) of Hitlers being in power and what authorities, such
as the Bible and other examples from history, had to say about Hitler or his actions.
The questions that Invention wants us to ask (we call them the Topics of Invention)
have begun seeping into the minds of the students, such that they cannot even have
a discussion without the questions making their way into it. Not only are these
students thinking through ideas differently, but they are also thinking through them
more thoroughly. The result was not just a dictionary definition of leader but also a
collection of types that exemplify what a leader is.

This all could have happened just as easily for the student working alone, though.
Your child can learn to think through ideas differently and more thoroughly by
asking those questions and answering them himself. In fact, many of our students
are already doing that. LTW students have rejoiced at how easy it is to come up with
an impromptu speech (required in Challenge years) because they have a ready
arsenal of questions (and, using Arrangement, a form to put it in) to use to come up
with content quickly.

Invention has another value that is closely related to the second but possibly
disguised within it. In addition to the thorough thinking skills that are developed
using Invention, the illustration above also shows us, thirdly, how Invention aids in
enrichment of discussion. The value of the conversation was so much greater
because of the questions the students were asking themselves and each other. While
well never know what would have happened without the skill of Invention available
to the students, it is likely that they could have just continued to talk right pass one
another without ever coming to any conclusions. I know I have made that mistake in
discussions Ive had with friends.

In a separate setting, I was discussing Hamlet with a friend. We wanted to know if
Hamlet really loved Ophelia. We argueder, I mean, discussedwhether Hamlet
loved Ophelia or not for over an hour before we finally realized that we both agreed
that Hamlet had loved her and were really discussing whether Hamlet continued to
love her throughout the play. Had we taken advantage of the Topics of Invention,
that conversation may have been quicker, not provoked emotions bordering on
anger, and led to a more enriching conclusion. The fruit of the discussion may have
been much greater had we used the tools available to us.

For the sake of this discussion, another (and final) way that Invention is invaluable
is how it becomes a tool for the integration of information. If we consider again the
conversation about whether Hitler was a leader or not, we can see how Invention
played such a valuable role in integration. The discussion came up during our
history hour. While discussing history, and thus Hitler, questions regarding
Definition brought into the conversation a discussion of leadership as a trait, a skill,
or a virtue; philosophy had suddenly entered the conversation. As questions
regarding relationship, or cause and effect, were brought into the conversation, a
discussion of the Jews as the people of God ensued; theology had suddenly entered
the conversation. As questions regarding authority were brought into the
conversation, a discussion of Brutus leadership in Shakespeares Julius Caesar was
provoked; literature had suddenly entered the conversation. In a 45-minute
conversation, these eight Challenge IV studentswho had originally set out to make
some observations about Hitlerhad a thorough, enriching, and integrated
conversation discovering ideas about history, philosophy, theology, and literature. If
you include the part of the discussion thatrelating to the topic of Circumstance
entailed considering the number of people who died under Hitlers rule and the
types of arguments he used to rule, then they also integrated mathematics and logic,
respectively. This is more than just thorough thinking, though; it is thorough
thinking that leads to contemplation and discussion of other subjects as they are
integrated into conversation and thought.

While Invention may seem an unnecessary skill to learnwho hasnt written a
paper without using it?it is over-looked for one reason: it is an immaterial, and
therefore unquantifiable, skill. Invention alone doesnt produce an artifact. Well, this
isnt completely true. Students can be found producing notes, ANI charts, and doing
free-writing as part of Invention. These are not easily recognizable as valuable
artifacts and may generally be dismissed as valuable artifacts altogether.

Learning a skill like painting, however, produces artwork. I can see the artwork,
touch the artwork, and sell the artwork. I can view the artwork and assess it: declare
it good or bad. I can assign it a grade: A
+
. Invention that leads to the discovery of
ideas, thorough thinking, enriching discussions, and integrated thought doesnt
necessarily lead to an artifact I can view and assess. It can, but we have also
convinced ourselves that we can produce the artifact (an essay) without Invention.
Invention, however, provides us with, albeit immaterial, skills that far outweigh the
value of the artifact, that are in fact invaluable. Unfortunately, we have assumed that
because we parents did not learn the canon of Invention and we turned out okay
that our own children can afford to skip it. Our children, however, have a great
opportunity to develop into thinkers, rulers, and lovers of Christ who will be far
more capable with the skills needed to not only live well before God and among men
but also to know God and to make Him known far more effectively than we.