Rhetorical Devices and Structure
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Communicating an idea to an audience
SPEAKER
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Informative
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Informative
Demonstrative
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Informative
Demonstrative
Persuasive
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Informative
Demonstrative
Persuasive
Entertaining
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Rhetoric—the art of effective persuasive
speaking
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Rhetoric—the art of effective persuasive
speaking
Rhetorical Triangle
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Rhetoric—the art of effective persuasive
speaking
Rhetorical Triangle
SPEAKER
AUDIENCE and
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
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Parallelism
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Parallelism
Repetition
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Parallelism
Repetition
Rhetorical Question
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Parallelism
Repetition
Rhetorical Question
Analogy
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Parallelism
Repetition
Rhetorical Question
Analogy
Hyperbole
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Figure of balance identified by
successive words, phrases,
clauses with the same or very
similar grammatical structure.
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"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
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"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
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Repeating words/phrases for
clarity or emphasis
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"I said you're afraid to bleed. [As]
long as the white man sent you
to Korea, you bled. He sent you
to Germany, you bled. He sent
you to the South Pacific to fight
the Japanese, you bled. You
bleed for white people. But when
it comes time to seeing your own
churches being bombed and
little black girls be[ing]
murdered, you haven't got no
blood."
-- Malcolm X, Message to the Grassroots
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A question, not for the purpose of further
discussion, but to assert or deny an answer; a
question whose answer is obvious or implied.
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A question, not for the purpose of further
discussion, but to assert or deny an answer; a
question whose answer is obvious or implied.
A statement in the form of a question
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A question, not for the purpose of further
discussion, but to assert or deny an answer; a
question whose answer is obvious or implied.
A statement in the form of a question
A question posed which causes the audience
to agree with the speaker
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Can anyone look at the record of this
Administration and say, "Well done"?
Can anyone compare the state of our
economy when the Carter
Administration took office with where
we are today and say, "Keep up the
good work"?
Can anyone look at our reduced
standing in the world today and say,
"Let's have four more years of this"?
-- Ronald Reagan, 1980
Republican National
Convention Acceptance
Address
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An extended metaphor or long
simile in which an explicit
comparison is made between two
things for the purpose of furthering
a line of reasoning or drawing an
inference
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"I don't think there's anything
certainly more unseemly than
the sight of a rock star in
academic robes. It's a bit like
when people put their King
Charles spaniels in little tartan
sweats and hats. It's not
natural, and it doesn't make the
dog any smarter.“
-- Bono, 2004 Commencement
Address at The University of
Pennsylvania

deliberate exaggeration of
a person, thing, quality,
event to emphasize a point
external to the object of
exaggeration; intentional
exaggeration for rhetorical
effect.
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"So first of all, let me assert
my firm belief that the only
thing we have to fear is fear
itself.“
-- Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
First Inaugural Address
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"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."
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"My senior year, I received a telephone call
from a gentleman by the name of Mr. Gil
Brandt of the Dallas Cowboys. And he stated
that the Cowboys was interested in drafting
me, and I couldn't ignore it. I decided to
attend the Cowboys training camp. That year,
1967, the Dallas Cowboys had 137 rookies in
training camp. Gil Brandt was signing
everybody that could walk. Only five made
the team that year, and I was one of the five."
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"Withdrawal of U.S. troops will become like
salted peanuts to the American public; the
more U.S. troops come home, the more will
be demanded."
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"The minister who has been called by God,
ordained by God, appointed by God, and
anointed by God, is assumed guilty until
proven innocent."
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"Some have asked, 'How could you have the
United States Senate vote on Judge Thomas'
nomination and leave Senators in the dark
about Professor [Anita] Hill's charges?' And to
this I answer, 'How can you expect us to have
forced Professor Hill against her will into the
blinding light which you see here today."