Rhetorically Speaking 4: Similes

Similes are when you compare something or someone to something else. The idea being that you choose something to compare to which is renowned for the characteristic you want to describe. For example, you might describe a person, who is very tough, in this way:

He is as hard as nails
(Nails are by their very nature tough)

Image: Tom Curtis / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Many similes make reference to members of the animal kingdom

As stubborn as a mule (mules are characteristically stubborn)
He took to the task like a duck to water (water is the duck’s natural environment)
He was like a bear with a sore head (you might use this expression to describe someone with a bad hangover, bears are supposedly mean and grumpy, and one with a sore head even more so)

The examples so far have used like and as when making the comparison. Not all similes use this construction, here an example from Shakespeare’s writings:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day

When you want to say that something is distinctly lacking in a certain property or the opposite you might use an ironic simile:

It’s as clear a mud

Next week we’ll be looking at a related subject, metaphors.

Rhetorically Speaking 3: Irony

In Search of Irony

A couple of books I’m reading at the moment have made references to “ironic t-shirts”. This got me to thinking, what exactly is an ironic t-shirt and for that matter, what exactly is irony.

It turns out that there are three main types of irony...

Verbal Irony

This is when you say something while implying something else. For example if there's a massive rainstorm outside and you say “What lovely weather we’re having!”. You are being ironic.

Dramatic Irony

When the readers or viewers are aware of a character’s situation and the characters themselves aren’t this is dramatic irony. In “Romeo and Juliet”, for example, Romeo is distraught because he thinks that Juliet is dead. He then kills himself. We as readers know that Juliet is not in fact dead, so that’s dramatic irony.

Situational Irony

Ah, my favourite type of irony. This is when a situation leads to results that would not normally be expected. Classic example

President Reagan was struck by a bullet that bounced off the presidential car. This is ironic because the car was bullet-proof (and probably bomb and missile proof too) and in normal circumstances would protect the president from bullets.

Irony in Popular Culture

In my quest for examples of irony I was led to popular culture and this sketch from Blackadder

Blackadder: Baldrick, have you no idea what irony is?
Baldrick: Yes, it's like goldy and bronzy only it's made out of iron.

Ok, this was just a simple play on words, but amusing nevertheless.

Apparently Americans “just don’t get irony”. Does this extend to Canadians too? Perhaps. You would think that Alanis Morissette’s song “Ironic” would be a great place to find some ironic scenarios. You’d be wrong. As Matt Sturge points out in this article most of what she mentions in the song is just bad luck/unfortunate timing:

Attempts at describing irony: 11
Successful attempts: 2.5

Irish comedian Ed Byrne showed he really knows what irony is all about: "The only ironic thing about that song is it's called 'Ironic' and it's written by a woman who doesn't know what irony is. That's quite ironic."

Anyway, back to those elusive ironic t-shirts. Ordinary t-shirts may turn out to be ironic if worn in the right situation. Take for example these ironic t-shirts to get arrested in. Strictly speaking artistic irony is when an artistic work refers back to earlier art.

My search for ironic t-shirts led me to this design, "Pop Art is Dead". Maybe this is the ultimate in ironic t-shirt design? The t-shirt is ironic in the artistic sense (referring to the pop art style) and situationally ironic (because it’s using pop art imagery while at the same time saying it’s dead). So it seems that not only is pop art still very much alive, but irony is helping to keep it that way.

Rhetorically Speaking 2: Alliteration

Alliteration is the use of the two or more words in sequence that have the same sound in their first syllables. Take this example

The snake silently slithered

Here the ess sound is repeated three times. The repetition of sounds is very pleasing the to the human ear and sentences using alliteration take on a poetry-like nature. Made-up names for cartoon characters and comic-strip heroes often feature alliteration,

Micky Mouse, Donald Duck, Dan Dare.

Then there are film and pop star names, characters in novels and fictional places,

Ronald Reagan, Janet Jackson, Peter Pan, Heartbreak Hotel

Overuse of alliteration can often become cliched. An example of this is in what we shall politely call the lower-quality press. Headlines like “Fox Found on 72nd Floor” (taken from today’s Sun) aren’t too bad, they just got lucky (and so did the fox). However, all too often, headline writers go out of their way to use alliteration and the results can sound contrived, such as this example which manages to pack two alliterations into one headline, “Can this cute cat secretly sense death?” (also from today’s Sun).

Summing up, use alliterations sparingly. Sometimes they will happen naturally. Don’t give in to the temptation of using words you wouldn’t normally use (or aren’t entirely sure of) just for the sake of alliteration. This, my dear readers, is why this article isn’t titled “Awesome and Awful Alliterations”. For once I am practicing what I’m preaching.

Rhetorically Speaking 1: Rhetorical Questions

Welcome to the first part of a new series. I shall be following in the sandal-clad footsteps of no less than the great Aristotle with my up-to-date take on rhetoric - the art and study of the use of language with persuasive effect. Used sparingly rhetorical devices can make your writings and oration more compelling. Let's begin...

A rhetorical question is a question that is posed merely for effect. For example in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Shylock says:

“If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?”

This device is very commonly used by great orators. The aim is to make the listener actively think about what the speaker is saying. An answer is not expected, nor is one offered. This is fine if you are speaking, unless you’re doing stand-up comedy it’s unlikely that someone will chip in with an answer.

When you start asking rhetorical questions on social-networking sites, however, don’t be surprised when people start firing back answers at you. The mere act of putting a question mark at the end of a sentence invites an answer. Does it not?

Of course, if your rhetorical question is a plea for help such as “Why is my life so crap?” you’ll be glad to hear that there are people out there who do care if you live or die. Conversely, if your e-suicide-note is met with a stony silence you might regret asking that rhetorical question.

In everyday speech (and in everyday arguments) rhetorical questions are often asked.

What the hell is wrong with you?
How many times have I told you not to do that?

Unless you want the argument to escalate, it’s best not to answer these sorts of questions.

In summary, the rhetorical question is a useful tool. When writing it serves as a way of airing your musings and at the same time giving your reader pause for thought. When speaking in public it can serve to stop your audience falling asleep. This especially so if several are used in rapid succession and each question mark hammered home with a thump of the lectern in the manner of an Evangelist giving a sermon warning of fire, brimstone and eternal damnation. So, there you are. Why not give it a try?