Rhetorical

Devices
Techniques in the Art of Persuasion
Why Rhetorical Devices?
O For authors and speakers to make a
persuasive argument, their work must
have a clear thesis or purpose, sufficient
evidence supporting the thesis, a logical
and progressive organization, and,
importantly, an effective style.
 Rhetorical Devices
Definition:
O Any stylistic device or resource of
language that an author or speaker uses
to help persuade or make a desired
impact on his/her audience.
Ones you probably know…
O Simile
O Metaphor
O Personification
O Rhetorical Question
 A Quick Review:
O Simile—a comparison using like or as
Example: “He is as brave as a lion.”
O Metaphor—a comparison without using like or as
Example: “Time is a thief” or “All the world’s a stage.”
O Personification—assigning human qualities to something
that is not human
Example: “The stars danced through the moonlit sky.”
O Rhetorical Question—a question asked for effect, not
requiring an answer
Example: “If you prick us do we not bleed?”
 Other Common
Rhetorical Devices
O Allusion O Parallelism
O Hyperbole O Juxtaposition
O Euphemism O Understatement
O Repetition O Oxymoron
O Anaphora
O Epistrophe
 Allusion
O A brief reference to a famous person or event—
often from literature, history, Greek myth, or the
Bible. Can help to simplify complex ideas.
• “Plan ahead: it wasn't raining
when Noah built the ark.”
• “He was a real Romeo with the
ladies.”
• “She was a good Samaritan
yesterday when helping the
elderly woman carry her
groceries.”
 Hyperbole
O An obvious and
deliberate
exaggeration (to
emphasize something
or for humorous
purposes).

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 Examples of Hyperbole
O I love you more than
life itself.
O He’s so hungry, he
could eat a horse.
O I told you a million
times.
 Euphemism
O A mild or pleasant word or
phrase that is used instead
of one that is unpleasant or
offensive

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 Examples of Euphemisms
O “Pass away” instead of “die”
O “Let go” instead of “fired”
O “Correctional facility”
instead of “jail”
O “Restroom” instead of
“toilet”
O “Chronologically
challenged”
instead of “late”
 Repetition:
Anaphora & Epistrophe
O Repetition: the repetition of
words or phrases to build to a
climax or add emphasis
O Anaphora: the repetition of
words at the beginning of a
line
O Epistrophe: the repetition
of words at the end of a line
 Examples of Anaphora
From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal.’

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of
former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit
down together at a table of brotherhood...

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character.”
 Examples of Anaphora
From Winston Churchill’s “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” Speech, 1940:
 Examples of Epistrophe
“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.”
“See no evil; hear no evil; speak no evil.”
"For no government is better than the men
who compose it, and I want the best, and
we need the best, and we deserve the
best.”
From Senator John F. Kennedy’s speech at Wittenberg College, 1960
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 Parallelism
O Successive words, phrases, clauses
expressed with the same or very similar
grammatical structure. Can add balance
and rhythm and, most importantly,
emphasis to argument.
O Often occurs with anaphora and
epistrophe.
 Examples of Parallelism
O "Let every nation know, whether it wishes
us well or ill, that we shall pay any price,
bear any burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, oppose any foe to
assure the survival and the success of
liberty.” –John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address

"...and that government of the people, by the

people, for the people, shall not perish from
the earth.”—Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
 Examples of Parallelism
O "I've tried to offer leadership to the
Democratic Party and the Nation. If, in my
high moments, I have done some good,
offered some service, shed some light,
healed some wounds, rekindled some
hope, or stirred someone from apathy and
indifference, or in any way along the way
helped somebody, then this campaign has
not been in vain.”
-- Jesse Jackson, 1984 DNC Address
 Juxtaposition
O Putting two contrasting
elements together that are
so unlike that the effect is
surprising, witty, or even
startling
O Often occurs with
parallelism

“That's one small step for man; one giant leap

for mankind.” -- Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Moon Landing Speech
 Examples of Juxtaposition
O "I have a dream that my four little children will one day
live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color
of their skin but by the content of their character.”
-- Martin Luther King, Jr., I Have a Dream

O "Wealth and poverty, guilt and grief, orange and apple,

God and Satan; let us settle ourselves and work and
wedge our feet downward through the mud and the slush
of opinion, and prejudice, and tradition, and delusion,
and appearance. . . .”
--Henry David Thoreau
 Understatement
O A statement that minimizes the significance of
something or says less than it means; often used for
comedic effect

“There is a novel type of warfare that brings no destruction, except

to life.” --E.B White

“I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little
tumor on the brain.”
--J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye

"I am just going outside and may be some time.”--Captain Lawrence Oates,
(Antarctic explorer, before walking out into a blizzard to face certain death,
1912)
 Understatement Example
From the comedy film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Arthur: I command you as King of the Arthur: You are indeed brave, Sir Knight,
Britons to stand aside! but the fight is mine.
Black Knight: I move for no man. Black Knight: Oh, had enough, eh?
Arthur: So be it! Arthur: Look… you've got no arms left.
Arthur cuts off the Black Knight's left arm. Black Knight: Yes I have.
Arthur: Look!
Arthur: Now stand aside, worthy adversary. Black Knight: Just a flesh wound.
Black Knight: 'Tis but a scratch.
Arthur: A scratch? Your arm's off!
Black Knight: No, it isn't.
Arthur: Well, what's that then?
Black Knight: I've had worse.
Arthur: You liar!
Arthur cuts off the Black Knight's right arm.
Arthur: Victory is mine! We thank thee
Lord, that in thy mercy...
Black Knight: Come on then.
Arthur: What?
Black Knight: Have at you!
 Oxymoron
O The combination of two words of opposite
meaning for dramatic, comedic or provocative
effect
“Jumbo Shrimp”

“Tragic comedy”

“Open secret”

“O brawling love! O loving hate!”

(from “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare)
PRACTICE
Assess Yourself
1. The following are examples of what
rhetorical device:
O Original copy
O Disgustingly delicious
O Small crowd
O Passive aggressive
O Faithfully unfaithful

Oxymoron
2. Name the rhetorical device.
O“During the holidays, she acted like
a Scrooge, purchasing presents
only for herself.”

Allusion
3. Name the rhetorical device.
O “We’ve got the iPod, best music player in
the world. We’ve got the iPod Nanos, brand
new models, colors are back. We’ve got
the amazing new iPod Shuffle.”
-- Steve Jobs, Macworld 2007 Keynote Address

Anaphora
(also Parallelism and Hyperbole)
4. Name the rhetorical device.
"We have seen the state of our Union in the
endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion.
We've seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of
candles, the giving of blood, the saying of
prayers -- in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.”
—George Bush, Address to the Nation on Terrorism

Parallelism
5. Name the rhetorical device.
O “Sanitation engineer”
O “Pre-owned vehicle”
O “Economically disadvantaged”

Euphemism
 6. Name the rhetorical device.
O In 1982, after all four engines of British Airways
Flight 9 failed 38,000 feet over the Atlantic due to
volcanic ash, the captain of the flight made the
following announcement to the passengers:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.

We have a small problem. All four engines have
stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them
going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.”

Understatement
 7. Name the rhetorical device.
"I'll love you, dear, I'll love you till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,
I'll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
And the seven stars go squawking
Like geese about the sky.”
--From "As I Walked Out One Evening" by W.H. Auden:

Hyperbole
(also Anaphora, Personification, Simile)
8. Name the rhetorical device.
"Don't you ever talk about my friends! You
don't know any of my friends. You don't look
at any of my friends. And you certainly
wouldn't condescend to speak to any of my
friends.”
--Judd Nelson as John Bender in The Breakfast Club

Epistrophe
 9. Name 2 rhetorical devices.

O "We find ourselves rich in goods but ragged in

spirit, reaching with magnificent precision for
the moon but falling into raucous discord on
earth. We are caught in war, wanting peace.
We're torn by division, wanting unity.”
-- Richard M. Nixon, Inaugural Address

Juxtaposition, Parallelism
10. Name 3 rhetorical devices.
O “It was the best of times, it was the worst of
times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the
age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the
season of Light, it was the season of
Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was
the winter of despair…

Juxtaposition, Anaphora, Parallelism

ACTIVITIES
Rhetorical Analysis
 Rhetorical Devices:
Practice Activity
O On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig delivered his “Farewell to Baseball
Address” to a packed Yankee Stadium. Considered the greatest first
baseman in history, Gehrig had just learned of the fatal medical
condition --amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-- that would destroy
his physical abilities. Moved to tears by the tribute from his
teammates and fans that day, the naturally shy athlete delivered,
without notes, the now iconic speech.
O Read the speech on the handout provided, underlining any
rhetorical devices you find.
O Identify five strong examples of rhetorical examples within the
speech, then explain how each helps the speaker to achieve his
purpose.
NOTE: You can watch the MLB 75th Anniversary video honoring Gehrig here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oW1RuGqw7g
 Rhetorical Analysis
Group Activity
O Choose one of the speeches on the following page
O Closely read the speech, highlighting and identifying
any rhetorical devices you find.
O Working in small groups, select the 10 best
examples of rhetorical devices you found and record
them on the sheet provided.
O As a group, explain how the author’s use of
rhetorical devices helped to achieve his/her purpose.

Note: All speeches can be found on the American Rhetoric web site:http://www.americanrhetoric.com
Group Activity Speech List:
Choose one speech from the list below:
Martin Luther King Jr. I Have a Dream
President Obama First Inaugural Address
Elie Wiesel The Perils of Indifference
John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address
Albert Einstein The Menace of Mass Destruction
George Bush Address to Nation after 9/11
Hilary Rodham Clinton Women’s Rights are Human Rights
Ronald Reagan The "Challenger" Tragedy Address
Barbara Bush Commencement Address Wellesley College
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation
Frederick Douglass The Hypocrisy of American Slavery

Note: All listed speeches can be found on the American Rhetoric web site: http://www.americanrhetoric.com
 Writing Activity
Choose one of the following topics. Write 2-3 well developed
paragraphs arguing your stance on that topic. Use AT LEAST FOUR
rhetorical device studied in class to help strengthen your argument.

TOPICS
• Can money buy love?
• Should video games be considered a sport?
• Should school cafeterias be forced to serve only
healthy foods?
• Do teachers assign too much homework?
• Should video cameras be posted in classrooms?
• Which is more important: talent or hard work?
 Looking for more rhetorical
analysis activities?
Use Martin Luther King’s impassioned
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” (a CCSS
exemplar text) to practice rhetorical
analysis, including:
• Detailed Lesson Plans
• Introductory PowerPoint
• Pre-reading Debate Activity
• Vocabulary Inventory and Builder
• SOAPTSTone Analysis
• Rhetorical Analysis
• Reflection and Writing Activities
• Detailed Answer Keys, Rubrics

TONS of rigorous, engaging activities!