On page 103 Socrates tells Polus that his goal is to make Polus adopt his doctrine and maintain it. I think this could be considered a definition of rhetoric. It involves using speech as a tool to persuade someone to agree with them and support their belief. Rhetoric involves ethos, logos, and pathos. Gorgias in this chapter has a great reputation, he’s is spoken of frequently as a great rhetorician who would answer any question. It was his reputation and credibility that attracted Socrates and began this conversation. It is his credibility that makes what he has to say important and valid enough to be persuasive. Socrates continuously creates more questions that can’t help but make Polus see holes in his argument.

 In chapter 3 we see how to use simple and complex Questions. The example questions “Is it a good or a bad thing”?, “should it be sought or avoided?”, “ Is it right or wrong?”, and “is it honorable or dishonorable?”(pg. 69). These are the way Socrates frames his questions when he is talking about whether it is worse to be the wrong doer than the person who was wronged. He’s asking which is right and which is wrong, he asks is it a bad thing or a good thing. I can see why these questions are beneficial for an argument because it forces them to dig deeper in order to find an answer that supports their position in the argument. If they cannot find an answer that supports their position then they have been forced to recognize a flaw in their thinking, and if the other person who is doing the asking has positive responses to give it becomes even more persuasive.

I have experienced this when I think something is right but when I am questioned and asked to explain something, sometimes I cannot. This makes me think about the topic longer and though maybe eventually I can find an appropriate answer, more than likely I will adjust my position. I don’t always agree with who I am debating with, but my position will change enough that I have been persuaded to agree that I am incorrect. Rhetoric and persuasion is what we use to communicate civilly, and to come to a peaceful agreement on the best way to perform certain activities. Rhetoric is an important part of communication and its development has played a large role in how our society communicates. Rhetoric is an important part of speeches spoken by someone running for a government position, they try and out do their competition by persuading a larger part of the population and therefore taking the position they desired. In this situation getting people to agree with you is very important for your future. Being able to communicate well is a very important part of how things are decided in our society.