If you had been Catiline, what would you have said to undermine Cicero’s case? Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic sceptic. many people believe that Cicero was one of the greatest rhetoric masters in history. According to the dictionary rhetoric is “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.” Cicero was very persuasive, more than most people in his time. When Cicero was a lawyer he attacked a man named Catiline. This attack was in a court. Catiline was a part of the Roman senate at the time. Catiline had his own organizations and because of this people began to suspect that he might overthrow the city. 

Catiline was brought to law because people began to suspect him. When Cicero “attacked” Catiline, he had to use his rhetoric skills to scare him because if people are scared they might give in to what they may or may not have done. Cicero talked for a long time about things Catiline had done which some may not have been true. Cicero was accusing Catiline of being a threat to the Romans and the Republic. Some of the accusations were not specific. If I had been Catiline I would have tried to make Cicero prove that he was telling the truth or for him to give proof. 

It is strange that Catiline never tried to change Cicero’s mind or talk against him. All of the accusations could have been true and he could have not wanted more proof against himself. Or maybe he never got a chance to say any thing because he never got a chance. Maybe he was under too much pressure. He did nothing to defend himself even there were hundreds of thing that he could have said. If I was Catiline I would at least have said something. 

Soon he was banished with his army and he returned and attacked Rome which is what he would have done in the first place. If I had of been Catiline I would have done something to have stopped from being banished.