What is rhetoric???

The most important thing I have learned this semester is the meaning of rhetoric. Up until the first day of class, I didn't have a clue what rhetoric is. I have since discovered not only just the simple definition of rhetoric, but also the different views on rhetoric.
The most useful thing I have gotten out of this class is the rhetoric terms we have based most of our discussions around. I actually believe that knowing about these terms now will make me a better public speaker in the future. The speech teacher I had here at Clemson never taught me the correct way to organize my speeches using logos, ethos, and pathos. My speeches in the past could have been much more effective if I had known about these rhetoric terms earlier. A better understanding of these rhetoric terms has also given me the ability to listen to someone else's speech and determine whether or not their speech is effective enough. Taking this class doesn't make me an expert by far, but I do feel more confident now when criticizing another person's public speech.