Rhetorical Devices Used by
Speakers and Writers
• What is rhetoric?
• Rhetoric is persuasive speech and writing
• Rhetorical devices are elements used by speakers and
writers to effectively persuade their audience
• They have a powerful effect on listeners/ readers
Parallelism
• Writing structures that
are grammatically
parallel helps the
reader understand
the points better
because they flow
more smoothly.
If there is anyone out
there who still
doubts…who still
wonders…who still
questions
"The inherent vice of
capitalism is the
unequal sharing of
blessing; the inherent
virtue of socialism is
the equal sharing of
miseries."
— Winston Churchill
Hypophora
• A common technique is
to start a speech with a
hypophora, in which the
speaker first asks a
question and then
answers it.
• "You ask, what is our
policy? I will say: It is to
wage war, by sea, land,
and air, with all our might
and with all the
strength.." — Winston
Churchill,
4 June 1940.
Repetition
• Repetition can be
effective in creating a
sense of structure
and power. In both
speech and literature,
repeating small
phrases can ingrain
an idea in the minds
of the audience.
• Yes, we can, to
opportunity and
prosperity. Yes, we
can heal this nation.
Yes, we can repair
this world. Yes, we
can.
Figurative Language
• Metaphor
- Albert is a couch potato
• Simile
- That hairstyle stands out
like a sore thumb.
• Hyperbole
- He snores like a grizzly
bear with a head cold.
Tricolon
• A tricolon is a list of
three, or a sentence in
which there are three
parts or clauses. The
cumulative effect of
three has a powerful
effect on an audience.
– Here, the backyards,
living rooms and front
porches build a strong
picture of “plain folks”
Juxtaposition
• the act of positioning close together in order
to compare two ideas or concepts
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost
Frost uses the two roads,
representing two different
decisions.
Rhetorical & Persuasive Appeals
• Ethos—appeal to ethics; asks the reader/listener
to look favorably on the writer/speaker; stresses
the writer/speaker’s intelligence, competence,
fairness, morality, and other qualities desirable
in a trustworthy leader.
• Ethos= ethics, character, credibility
--“I promise you, we as a people will get there.”
--“But I will always be honest with you about the challenges
we face. I will listen to you, especially when we
disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the
work of remaking this nation . . .”
Rhetorical & Persuasive Appeals
• Logos—rational appeal; asks the readers to use their
intellects and powers of reasoning. It relies on
established conventions of logic and evidence.
• Logos= facts, logic, reasoning
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: we
have not only the fingerprints, the
lack of an alibi, a clear motive, and
an expressed desire to commit the
robbery… We also have video of
the suspect breaking in. The case
could not be more open and shut."
Rhetorical & Persuasive Appeals
• Pathos—an emotional appeal; asks readers to respond
out of their beliefs, values, or feelings. It inspires,
affirms, frightens, angers.
• Pathos= emotions, shared values
-“Tonight we proved one more that the true strength
of our nation comes not from the might of our
arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the
enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty,
opportunity, and unyielding hope.”
-“So tonight, let us ask ourselves—if our children
should live to see the next century; if my
daughters should be so lucky to live as long as
Ann Nixon Cooper, what changes will they see?
What progress will we have made?”
Practice
• “I’m a doctor and I’ve studied obesity in
children for ten years.”
Practice
• Premise: Education is important.
• One of the key factors in quality education is the teacher.
• We should try to recruit and keep the best teachers in
our state.
• Many teachers in our state leave for higher paying jobs
in Wyoming and Nevada.
• If teacher salaries in Utah were higher, equal to the
wages in Wyoming and Nevada, perhaps some of those
teachers would not leave.
• We should raise teacher salaries in order to retain good
teachers and increase the quality of education.
Practice
• “If we don’t spend more money on
education, we’ll be left behind as China
becomes the most powerful economy.
Practice
• The anti-smoking movement has never been
louder or more prominent. Yet all signs suggest
that among the young the anti-smoking
message is backfiring. Between 1993 and 1997,
the number of college students who smoke
jumped 32 percent. Since 1988, in fact, the total
number of teen smokers in the United States
has risen an extraordinary 73 percent.
Practice
• In our culture, we value education and the
role of education in the American dream.
Practice
• If we don’t spend more money on the war
on terror, terrorists will come to our town.