EDF1005-Reflection #16

Rhetoric was the study of speaking and writing in an effective way. Rhetoric was a speech with a given theme. It also became something that the teachers would use to train the students and demonstrate how to use language orally and to learn how to apply it when speaking or writing. There were teachers who were called rhetors who taught this writing style. This study of rhetoric became a huge part of Roman society. It was a form of art. Rhetoric became a genre and a huge part of literature and all. The declamation had three parts to it and was considered to have been formed from rhetorics. Rhetoric was a way of putting something into an argument. It was the way to persuade someone into a belief, or by what was being said at the moment. Rhetoric was being able to say something in one way and how it would be interpreted in another way. For example, if I apply for a credit card because I was pursued by the way the associate entrapped me into applying; even though I know having credit cards aren’t good. It was the center of all Roman education. The most famous rhetoric at the time was Marcus Tullius Cicero for being the most read rhetorician of the Classical period. He elaborated and developed new ideas. Rhetoric is something that was inherited from Greece. It was mostly the study of language and thought together. There were two types of rhetorics that were used. One was quaestiones which were themes that were general and abstract. The other was causae which was themes related to a particular person or situations. The declamatio of rhetorics is what dominated schools in the areas of literacy. The Romans put great emphasis in rhetoric once the child was about the age of sixteen. They believed this was important because they needed to learn how to read and write correctly in public. It would help them lead in society of government. I believe using rhetoric was a good way of learning grammar and speech in a sort of particular way because it was a different type and way of saying something. For example, Aristotle the famous philosopher was famous for using rhetoric. It is from him where we get the rhetorical “proofs” anyways. Although rhetoric was a major part of Roman education.