Rhetorical Choices (examples)

Juxtaposition/Antithesis

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong

Paradox

"I know one thing, that I know nothing" -Socrates

Oxymoron

Act naturally; Bittersweet; Alone Together

Epistrophe

"For no government is better than the men who compose it, and I want the best, and we need the best, and we deserve the best." - John F. Kennedy

Polysyndeton

"Let the white folks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and schools and lawns like carpets, and books, and mostly-mostly-let them have their whiteness."

Anecdote

An animal rescue team tells stories to an audience about the many successful rehoming situations that they have had over the years.

Rhetorical Question

"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 say, "Let's have four more years of this"?"

Asyndeton

"He was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a broken stick, a maniac."

Chiasmus

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!" -JFK

Metaphor

"I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience."

Allusion

"And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side."

Anaphora

"There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem. And we are met here tonight as Americans—not as Democrats or Republicans. We are met here as Americans to solve that problem."

Parallelism

"That is why our constitutional system has proved itself the most superbly enduring political mechanism the modern world has produced. It has met every stress of vast expansion of territory, of foreign wars, of bitter internal strife, of world relations..."

Anecdote

"Now what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity."

Repetition

"In the field of world policy I would dedicate this nation to the policy of the good neighbor—the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and because he does so, respects the rights of others—the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbors."

Juxtaposition/Antithesis

Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.

Chiasmus

I meant what I said, and I said what I meant.

Asyndeton

An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was thick, warm, heavy, sluggish.

Epistrophe

If you had known the virtue of the ring, / Or half her worthiness that gave the ring, / Or your own honor to contain the ring, / You would not then have parted with the ring.

Anaphora

I have been one acquainted with the night... / I have outwalked the furthest city light. / I have looked down the saddest city lane.

Anecdote

Before beginning a tutoring session, the tutor tells the student how he used to struggle with the subject matter in the past and how he managed to grow past these difficulties.

Rhetorical Question

"Given how hard you work — both at the office and at home — don’t you deserve a day at the spa?"

hyperbole

"You know, there's a lot of debate going around, 'Who had the best team -- the ones in the '60s or in the one in '92?' I don't know who had the best team, but I know the team in 1960 was a hell of a lot tougher than we were. Because I couldn't imagine the '92 team getting into covered wagons for 8 days, going across the country, jumping in the Atlantic Ocean, swimming for 6 days, then walking 3000 miles to the Coliseum in Rome -- for a dollar a day. Thank you." - Larry Byrd

hyperbole

"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."

allusion

"Last week, the American people spoke. And their voices were raised in defense of liberty, of the rule of law, and of Democracy itself. With these elections, the people stood in the breach and repelled the assault on Democracy. They resoundingly rejected violence and insurrection. And in doing so, ‘gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.'" - Nancy Pelosi

metaphor

The President said that he didn't understand that fear. He said, "Why, this country is a shining city on a hill." And the President is right. In many ways we are a shining city on a hill. But the hard truth is that not everyone is sharing in this city's splendor and glory."

Juxtaposition

While we celebrate the advancements in technology that connect us globally, we must also address the growing isolation felt by individuals in their own communities.