iThink

Each year around this time, opening day arrives and hunters head to the woods in search of that perfect deer.  Deer dot the landscape and hunters seize the moment when the large buck arrives.  Boom!  They get the deer and tag it.  In the same way, intelligent readers scan the pages of newspapers, magazines, and literature, picking up on examples of rhetoric as they go along.  Readers examine the use of the language and observe how they author used it to convey his message–they “tag” it.  To hunters, deer may seem to be few and far between; however, examples of rhetoric flood the pages of all types of text.  Rhetoric is everywhere!

Examples of Rhetoric (all from the Bible):

• Anaphora/repetition; Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 5:3-10
• Antimetabole;  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Matthew 6:34
• Hyperbole; Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  Matthew 7:3
• Parallelism; Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  Matthew 7:7
• Rhetorical question; Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Matthew 7:16

Examples of rhetoric are everywhere.  Like hunters who scan the woods for deer, analytical readers scan page after page for rhetorical devices.  Next time you’re looking through a magazine, just see how many examples of rhetoric you can find!