Rhetorical Devices in Speech and Writing

1. Rhetorical Devices Used by Speakers and Writers • Rhetorical devices are the nuts and bolts of speech and writing; the parts that make a communication work. Separately, each part of is meaningless, but once put together they create a powerful effect on the listener/reader. • Let’s remember these strategies with the acronym P.J. FARV PHAT

2. Polysyndeton • using several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted—used to stress the importance of each item • “…murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.”

3. Juxtaposition • the act of positioning contrasting elements close together • “…the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.” • Bodies are solid; smoke is ethereal. Burning children is a horror; silent sky is beautiful.

4. Figurative Language • People like to think in metaphors. Figurative speech tends to work best when set off by concrete images. • “turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.” • “those flames that consumed my faith forever” • “turned my dreams to ashes”

5. Allusion • By using allusion, you not only associate yourself with the ideas of the original text but also create a bond with the audience by evoking shared knowledge • “seven times sealed” refers to the Jewish belief that seven is a number of completion: 7 days in a week, 7 blessings recited at weddings, 1st verse of Torah has 7 words, Egyptian plagues were 7 days, and more. • This passage has 7 sentences that start “Never shall I forget…”

6. 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. • Never shall I forget… • Never shall I forget… • Never shall I forget…

7. Varied Sentence Length • Varying the sentence length is always a good way to strengthen any writing style, be it speech writing or essays. • Some of the sentences in this section are 2 lines long, but we also have the short sentences, “Never shall I forget that smoke,” and “Never.”

8. Stop. • Polysyndeton – ands • Juxtaposition – 2 opposites nearby • Figurative Language • Allusion – reference to famous thing • Repetition • Varied Sentence length

9. Parallelism • Writing structures that are grammatically parallel helps the reader understand the points better because they flow more smoothly. p.83: “The last night in Buna, the last night in the ghetto, the last night in the cattle car, and, now, the last night in Buna.”

10. Hypophora • Hypophora is when the speaker first asks a question and then answers it. • p.81: “Were the SS really going to leave hundreds of prisoners behind in the infirmaries, pending the arrival of their liberators? Were they really going to allow Jews to hear the clock strike twelve? Of course not.”

11. Antithesis • A figure of speech in which sharply contrasting ideas are juxtaposed in a balanced or parallel phrase or grammatical structure • “When their voices are stifled, we shall lend them ours…while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.” –Wiesel’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech "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, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way."(Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)

12. 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. • p.86 “Don’t think, don’t stop, run!” • p.87 “We had transcended everything – death, fatigue, our natural needs.”

13. 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. • --“We shall see the day of liberation. Have faith in life, a thousand times faith…We are all brothers and share the same fate. The same smoke hovers over all our heads…” (guard in Auschwitz using ethos)p. 41

14. 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. -- “The first three days went by quickly. On the fourth day, as we stood in front of our tent, the Kapos appeared.  Each one began to choose the men he liked.” -- “We received no food.  We lived on snow; it took the place of bread.” -- “At the entrance to the camp, SS officers were waiting for us.  We were counted. Then we were directed to the Appleplatz.” -- “I remained in Buchenwald until April 11.”

15. Rhetorical & Persuasive Appeals • Pathos—an emotional appeal; asks readers to respond out of their beliefs, values, or feelings. It inspires, affirms, frightens, angers. • “Her little boy was crying, clinging to her skin, trying to hold her hand.”p.25 • “The SS made us increase our pace. “Faster, you tramps, you flea-ridden dogs…Faster, you filthy dogs!”