Matt Bolliger Journal 4 Rhetoric has changed since the ages ancient Rome and Greece.

In those times, rhetoric was used in law to determine whether one was guilty or not guilty. Ancient rhetoricians served as todays lawmakers and lawyers. In ancient Rome, if a person was accused of a crime, that person would go to a rhetorician for defense, as would the plaintiff for his attack. The two rhetoricians would debate, and the best speech would be decided (best being relative). The party with the wining rhetorician was not guilty, and the opposing side was. This shows how important rhetoric and persuasion was to ancient cultures. It was viewed as the primary reason to obtain an education, and math and science were even rooted in it. Today, this is not even close to true. Politicians are rarely seen making use of rhetorical devices in their dealings. There are virtually no longer any speeches that can change the fate of the world, and math and science are completely eclipsing the art of rhetoric. I do not mean to say that rhetoric is the most important thing a person can learn, but it should be on the same level as other subject currently are.