Orality and Literacy Pt. 2: Was that a rhetorical question?

Rhetoric as defined by Ong is the art of public speaking. But more than that, it was the 'art' of public speaking that was a product of writing.  Merriam-Webster's online dictionary first definition of rhetoric is as follows: "1 : the art of speaking or writing effectively: as a : the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion
3 : verbal communication" http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhetoric.  What I found most interesting about Ong's description and explanation of rhetoric as it pertains to orality and literacy was: "With its agnostic heritage, rhetorical teaching assumed that the aim of more or less all discourse was to prove or disprove a point, against opposition. Developing a subject was thought of as a process of 'invention', that is, of finding in the store of arguments that others had always exploited those arguments which were applicable to your case."  (Ong, pg 108-109)  It's silly what the mind conjures when reading certain things.  Although I can't remember the date or time, I remember the first time I heard, "that was a rhetorical question" and wondering exactly what "rhetorical" meant.  I had to look it up in the dictionary (in the privacy and quiet of my room) and I remember still not understanding (keep in mind, I was just a kid when I first heard this term). As time and understanding would have it, it came to mean that despite what the question was, it found its favor with the person asking it, thereby reinforcing their point.

The interaction of rhetoric in the loci communes or commonplaces further drives the idea of home.  Ong establishes both analytic (cause/effect, opposites) and cumulative (essentially formulas for speeches/writing) commonplaces as helping keep alive the orality and art of rhetoric.  Regardless of its commonplace, rhetoric still found its footing in the academic world.  Ong noted, however, that the exception to this was the rise of female writers in the 1600s. It is no surprise to many (if not all) of us that formal schooling for women way back when didn't revolve around subjects which lead to more male-dominate professions.  It was much more common, as Ong pointed out that women more or less studied the business of domestic affairs or homemaking.  Yet, women still found their way around the academic, Latin-based rhetoric of writing giving rise to the novel.