From Primary to Secondary Rhetoric

I noticed in particular a transition in the readings, particularly between Cicero and Longinus isn the question of what role rhetoric plays. For Cicero, there's still a very Aristotelian view of rhetoric, with a role in both the courts,assembly and ceremonial speech, as well as potentially even expanding the view of rhetoric to include other areas. While this seems to be the prevailing view in Cicero, taking Crassus to be Cicero's mouthpiece in the dialogue, its not the only view. Antonius presents a more limited view, emphasizing rhetoric's primacy as being in the courts above other areas. Cicero seems to be wrestling with questions as to what role rhetoric plays in society. Is it useful for making change in the direction of society, or is it just about the past. This is in keeping with the times in which he lived, the tail end of the Roman republic and the rise of Julius Ceasar. Soon enough, the republic would see its end with the rise of empire, and the practical role of rhetoric in Rome's albeit limited democracy would be even more greatly diminished. History seems to have proven Cicero to be the loser, for all his skill at oratory, events conspired to lessen the impact of rhetoric in society. Longinus, or whoever actually wrote "On the Sublime", is the aftermath of this. Rhetoric has been reduces to mere persuasion, logic and argument are largely missing, or at least greatly lessened in importance. Instead, we have the triumph of style and eloquence. The primacy of rhetoric in making real change in society is all but gone. Absent a political reality reality facilitating an importance in persuading people to vote for or against something in an assembly or other body, rhetoric seems to have withered. Rhetoric may have great influence, but before the wake of changing reality largely implemented as a result of martial power, it withered in Rome. The art can flourished during the golden age of Athenian democracy has been transformed to stule and eloquence as a result of the rise of empire. Logic, reason and argument have all but vanished in emphasis in rhetoric in Longinus work, making it easy to see how they continued to be absent from rhetoric in the centuries to come.