Download SVC Rhetorical Devices and Allusions

“The Speech to Virginia
Convention” by Patrick Henry
Rhetorical Devices:
Allusions and Rhetorical Questions
Allusions
Allusion is a brief reference to a person,
event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a
work of art. Casual reference to a famous
historical or literary figure or event.
An allusion may be drawn from history,
geography, literature, or religion.
Song of the Siren
Mythology and Legend – Sirens: Odyssey
In Greek mythology, Sirens were sea creatures
who lured sailors to their deaths on the rocky
shores by singing a beautiful, irresistible song.
They are usually depicted as women, or as halfwomen, half bird.
In modern usage, “sirens” can refer to anything
that tempts a person away from safety and
toward a destructive path. A “siren song” is the
temptation used to lure a person.
Example
In his Speech in the Virginia Convention,
Patrick Henry urged his listeners not to be
fooled by an “illusion of hope,” saying,
“We are apt to shut our eyes against a
painful truth, and listen to the song of that
siren, till she transforms us into beasts.”
He is comparing false hope both to the
sirens and to Circe, who turned Odysseus’
men into swine.
Betrayed with a Kiss
The Bible – Thirty Pieces of Silver/Betrayed with a
Kiss
In the Bible, Judas Iscariot was the disciple who
agreed to betray Jesus to the authorities in
exchange for payment. The thirty pieces of silver
were the price of Judas’ betrayal. The way Judas
identified Jesus for the authorities was to
approach Jesus and greet him with a kiss of
identification.
“Thirty pieces of silver” refers to payment received
for an act of treachery. “Betrayed with a kiss”
refers to a supposed friend’s treachery.
Example
Patrick Henry warned his listeners about the
supposed friendliness of the British. He
warned, “Suffer not yourselves to be
betrayed with a kiss.”
Rhetorical Devices
Rhetorical devices—literary techniques
used to heighten the effectiveness of
expression or language. Rhetorical
devices are tools to aide writers/speakers
in their invention of persuasion.
Rhetorical Question
A rhetorical question is one that requires
no answer because the answer is obvious
and doesn't need to be stated . The
speaker (of the rhetorical question) is not
looking for an answer but is making some
kind of a point, as in an argument.
Example: Are fleets and armies necessary to a
work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown
ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that
force must be called in to win back our love?
Parallelism
Parallel structure is using the same pattern
of words to show that two or more ideas
have the same level of importance.
Example: . We have petitioned; we have
remonstrated; we have supplicated; we
have prostrated ourselves before the
throne, and have implored its
interposition to arrest the tyrannical
hands of the ministry and Parliament.
Anthypophora
A figure of reasoning in which one asks and
then immediately answers one's own
questions (or raises and then settles
imaginary objections). Reasoning aloud.
Example: Has Great Britain any enemy, in this
quarter of the world, to call for all this
accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she
has none. They are meant for us; they can be
meant for no other.
Anaphora
Repetition of the same word or group of
words at the beginning of successive
clauses, sentences, or lines.
Example: Our petitions have been slighted; our
remonstrances have produced additional
violence and insult; our supplications have been
disregarded; and we have been spurned, with
contempt, from the foot of the throne.