Rhetorical Devices in Speech

A Tutorial

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Click on each rhetorical device for a tutorial. After you have finished all of the tutorials, test your skills using the test link.

Alliteration

Parallelism

Analogy

Repetition

Antithesis

Hyperbole

Rhetorical Questions

Metaphor

Simile

Practice TestCredits

Alliteration • Definition:

The repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close to one another

Example from The Wizard of Oz

"Step forward, Tin Man. You dare to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk...And you, Scarecrow, have the effrontery to ask for a brain! You billowing bale of bovine fodder!"

Analogy• Definition:

A kind of 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

Example from Man of the Year“Remember this, ladies and gentlemen. It's an old phrase, basically anonymous. Politicians are a lot like diapers: They should be changed frequently and for the same reason. Keep that in mind next time you vote. Good night.”

Antithesis • Definition:

Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure

Example from Neil Armstrong"...although the surface appears to be...very,

very fine-grained as you get close to it. It's almost like a powder...Okay, I'm going to step off the LEM now. That's one small step for [a] man; one giant leap for mankind."

Second example

Antithesis

• Definition:Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure

Example from John F. Kennedy

"We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom, symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, signifying renewal as well as change."

Hyperbole• Definition:

A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comic effect

• Example from FDR’s First Inaugural Address

"So first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Second example

Hyperbole• Definition:

A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comic effect

• Example from Ralph Nader’s 2000 NAACP Address

"The only place where democracy comes before work is in the dictionary."

Metaphor• Definition:

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things without using a connective word such as like, as, than, or resembles

• Example from Al Gore’s Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address"At the dawn of spring last year, a single act of terror brought forth the long, cold winter in our hearts. The people of Oklahoma City are mourning still."

Parallelism • Definition:

Used for balance, it is the syntactical structure of a set of words in successive phrases, clauses, sentences; successive words, phrases, clauses with the same or very similar grammatical structure

• Example from Jesse Jackson’s 1984 DNC Address "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."

Second example

Parallelism • Definition:

Used for balance, it is the syntactical structure of a set of words in successive phrases, clauses, sentences; successive words, phrases, clauses with the same or very similar grammatical structure

• Example from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, delivered by Jeff Daniels

"...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Repetition• Definition:

The repeating of words, phrases, clauses for emphasis

• Example from Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

Rhetorical Question• Definition:

A question, not for the purpose of further discussion, but to assert or deny an answer implicitly; a question whose answer is obvious or implied.

• Example from Ronald Reagan’s Remarks to the National Association of Evangelicals, 1983"But no one seems to mention morality as playing a part in the subject of sex. Is all of Judeo-Christian tradition wrong? Are we to believe that something so sacred can be looked upon as a purely physical thing with no potential for emotional and psychological harm? And isn't it the parents' right to give counsel and advice to keep their children from making mistakes that may affect their entire lives?"

Simile• Definition

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things using a connective word such as like, as, than, or resembles

• Example from The Shawshank Redemption Morgan Freeman

"I've had some long nights in the stir. Alone in the dark with nothing but your thoughts, time can draw out like a blade. That was the longest night of my life."

Practice Test Directions

Read each speech excerpt. When you finish, click “test my skills” for the question concerning the underlined portion. If you need to review a skill, select the Home button at the bottom.

Begin Test

From Queen Elizabeth I’s Speech to the Troops at Tilbury

“I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chief strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and goodwill of my subjects; therefore, I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in he midst of the heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honor and my blood, even in the dust.”

Practice Test 1

Test my Skills

Practice Test 1

“I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in he midst of the heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honor and my blood, even in the dust.”

The underlined portion is an example of

A. a metaphorB. a rhetorical questionC. an antithesisD. parallel structure

Practice Test 2

From Edward Kennedy’s Eulogy for Robert F. Kennedy

"Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: 'Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.'"

Test my Skills

Practice Test 2

“As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: 'Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.’”

The underlined portion is an example of

A. alliterationB. a simileC. an antithesisD. repetition

Practice Test 3

From Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech

“In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds.’”

Test my Skills

Practice Test 3

“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds.’”

The underlined portions are an example of

A. an analogyB. parallelismC. hyperboleD. an antithesis

Practice Test 4From President George W. Bush 2002 State of the Union Address

“Thanks to the work of our law enforcement officials and coalition partners, hundreds of terrorists have been arrested. Yet, tens of thousands of trained terrorists are still at large. These enemies view the entire world as a battlefield, and we must pursue them wherever they are. So long as training camps operate, so long as nations harbor terrorists, freedom is at risk. And America and our allies must not, and will not, allow it.

Our nation will continue to be steadfast and patient and persistent in the pursuit of two great objectives. First, we will shut down terrorist camps, disrupt terrorist plans, and bring terrorists to justice. And, second, we must prevent the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world.”

Test my Skills

Practice Test 4

“Our nation will continue to be steadfast and patient and persistent in the pursuit of two great objectives. First, we will shut down terrorist camps, disrupt terrorist plans, and bring terrorists to justice. And, second, we must prevent the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world.”

The underlined portions are an example of

A. a rhetorical questionB. alliterationC. a metaphorD. a hyperbole

Practice Test 5

From Larry Rayfield Wright in his Pro Football Hall of Fame Address

"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."

Test my Skills

Practice Test 5

“ Gil Brandt was signing everybody that could walk. Only five made the team that year, and I was one of the five."

The underlined portions are an example of

A. a rhetorical questionB. alliterationC. a metaphorD. a hyperbole

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Bibliography

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Ellard. “more bloody ellard.” Ellard.com. (2007). 6 Aug. 2009 < http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://tomellard.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/ronald-reagan-picture.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tomellard.com/wp/2009/01/jg-ballard-proved-right/&usg=__7mtL1rgQcirVgUCfhAt7zghcvuw=&h=520&w=498&sz=87&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=MxPa6dGxpA-dRM:&tbnh=131&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dronald%2Breagan%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den>.

More credits

Bibliography (con’t)

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Space Exploration Merit Badge. “Pioneers of Space Travel.” my.execps.com. (2009). 3 Aug. 2009 <http://my.execpc.com/~culp/space/history.html>.

Toastmaster Junkie. “3 greatest speeches of all time.” Toastmastjunkie.com. (2009). 6 Aug. 2009 <http://www.toastmasterjunkie.com/3-greatest-speeches-of-all-time-john-f-kennedy-martin-luther-king-ronald-reagan/>.