Aristotle... basically everything we read that wasn't from Book 1

Reading the various selections from Aristotle's work On Rhetoric raised  a new thought on how the rhetoric can be used to reach a judgement. The thought I would like to address is how the audience uses rhetoric to further shape their own judgement. The opening line of Book 2 Chapter 18 is "Since the use of persuasive speech is directed to a judgement (there is no further need of speech on subjects that we know and have already judged)". In order for people to reach a judgement, they must listen to speakers who present on both sides of topic. As a result, most emphasis is put on the speaker which forces the reader to forget about the audience. The speaker presents a well researched, carefully worded opinion in a well rehearsed manner, but that does not mean that their word alone shapes the judgement of the audience. In most cases, the audience (who is of free thought) has the ability to use the power of rhetoric to reach their own judgment. In open forums or debates, the speaker will usually give their oration and then will open the floor to questions. The power of rhetoric has now shifted to audience in the forms of rebuttals and questions. A speaker may have the audience fully convinced that their opinion is the correct judgement, but one carefully worded rebuttal or question could completely destroy the argument or the speaker's credibility.