He writes, "Accordingly all men make use, more or less, of both; for to a certain extent all men attempt to discuss statements and to maintain them, to defend themselves and to attack others." (Aristotle from Rhetoric, 490). Aristotle does present a valid viewpoint here, for dialect can be as persuasive as rhetoric; however the type of persuasion may differ, for rhetoric renders persuasion which to a belief without knowledge, and dialect persuades the opposite. .
Moreover, rhetoric is deemed very important and useful by Aristotle. He believes that one who possesses the power of persuasion is stronger than any ordinary man without this art (494). He adds, however, that rhetoric is used to persuade good and what is just, mostly, for it is in human nature to favor good and just; and that good and just have a tendency to eventually prevail. In Aristotle's view, rhetoric is even more efficient than argument, for argument is based on knowledge and to some audiences, brings instruction; and there are certain people who cannot be instructed, however, using the art of persuasion combined with argument based on knowledge is practical in handling common audiences. (Aristotle, 492).
What is education and knowledge, and its importance? Some consider education as an essential need for humans, but some think of it as a base of life; education bears knowledge; knowledge brings power and livelihood, and thus without it, one is a powerless and helpless creature who knows nothing of the world and its purpose. For Fredrick Douglass, education meant freedom, what freedom is, and what the true bitter taste of slavery is. (Douglass, 48). By learning to read and write, Douglass broke the chains of slavery, acquired a brighter vision of this world, and all about what it means to be free; all of this happened to him because of education. At one part of his article, he writes that there were times he regretted ever coming across learning how read and write while being a slave; for being a slave and educated were two opposing things that cannot coexist, he admits.
