Figures of Speech Served Fresh

Dear Figaro,

Thank you for writing this book, it was such an eye opener for me and meanwhile I’ve read it through multiple times!

Alas by reading alone you don’t improve your rethorical skills very much… how would you propose to practice all your wise lessons? Of course, daily & work life provide a wonderful arena, but I’m not much of a ‘talker’ and I should force myself to have some deliberate practice, so I was wondering if there exist any ‘debating clubs’ for my level?

I believe you find these easily in the USA, but where I live (Belgium) I don’t find anything. It even seems that ‘debating’ has been banned from cultural life (maybe it has been replaced by conceptual artists, which is a pity)…

Could you help me/give me some clues?

Thank you so much!

Dear Peter,

Oh, dear. You leave me no choice but to plug my next book, Word Hero, which contains many useful exercises to strengthen your rhetorical muscles. Check out WordHero.org.

Fig.

Hey Fig,
I'm a huge fan of Thank You for Arguing. I found that it has helped me so much at work (and at home) that I put together a slide deck on the book and have given presentations on the subject of Rhetoric multiple times to my coworkers (it has been received surprisingly well for a bunch of Engineers). HR has asked me to present some of this for the company at large but I thought it would be so much more interesting and impactful to have the man himself. So what do ya' say??

How does your October look? Can you give me a proposal for you to come up for a full-day or 1/2-day class? The class would be held in our offices in Anchorage, Alaska (don't worry, snow doesn't fly until right close to Halloween). I would love for you to include in the price the cost for each participant to receive a copy of your book (either TY for Arguing or your new one) because, by god, everyone should have a copy. Engineers so badly need the powers of persuasion and so poorly lack the skills. It would be a sin (rhetorically speaking) to forego the opportunity. Don't you think?

I should mention my rhetorical tool of choice for this interaction is persistence. Although not delineated so much in the book, it has its applications, and provided apporpriate use, can lead to success. That is to say, that a simple "no" will not suffice for a reply. I, by your advice, am committed to a world of positive manipulation...dissemenating the points as you have laid them out in your book is my mission, and you, kind sir, are the most effective way to achieve it.

Let's march!!
- Mike

Dear Mike,

I responded with lightning speed, plus nine days, by email. I have done workshops with NASA as its one and only consulting rhetorician, so would love to work with your engineers. Let's talkQ

Hi Jay,

My name is Davin and I come from the land of Saints & Scholars. Magical mystical Ireland may be going through some hard times, but at least we are still rich in language. At least so I thought!

I picked up your book on Amazon a few weeks ago and I have to say what a fantastic read. Having worked in Advertising for many years, it appears from your rhetoric that I am more of a Judas than a Paddy. However and thanks to your book, I can now certainly persuade you that I am more of the latter rather than the former.

Nevertheless, I am hungry to learn more and I have already devoured your recommended reading list. The visual learner that I am, I was wondering if there are any DVD's on the subject? I can't seem to find any on the net and considering your professorial status on the subject, I am sure there is no better man to point me in the right direction.

If such a product does not exist, you should seriously consider producing one yourself. It is the ideal medium for generation X (the medium is the message) and when it comes to Ethos, you ooze credibility. Nevertheless, if any such products currently exist, I would be grateful if you could recommend them to me.

I look forward to your new book and many thanks for the advice

Davin Mac Ananey
Dublin, Ireland

Dear Davin,

I don't know of any DVDs worth the purchase. But go to WordHero.org, Figaro's sister site, for a couple of videos. Over the weeks to come, we'll be uploading "two-minute lectures" on rhetorical and figurative topics. Stay tuned!

Fig.

Hola, Figaro,

Right now I am on Chapter 16, "Know Whom to Trust". 'Thank you for Arguing' is one of my summer reading books, and the assignment is to take fifteen quotes from your book and to write meaningful analyses on them. Would you be willing to give me some insight so that I will get an 'A' on the assignment and start off my AP English Language class on a good note? Persuasion Alert: Notice how I switched to future tense in order to try to persuade you to help me. Admittedly, I am terrible at this rhetoric stuff, and you will probably respond with an email so eloquently written and filled with perfectly placed rhetorical devices that I will feel like a total dumb-ass. But that's okay with me, as long as I at least tried.
Alana

Dear Alana,

Not a bad first attempt, but you commit a critical error in trying to get me to help you write your paper: You talk about your benefit, not mine. All I get out of the deal is (very fine!) flattery.

When you're presenting a choice, you need to describe an outcome that benefits the audience, not you. It's even better if you can persuade your audience that you'll suffer from the outcome. That makes you sound disinterested.

So here's what you can do for me: I'm trying to persuade the annual convention of AP English teachers to let me speak in front of them. Convince your teacher to help my cause, and I'll personally coach you through your paper.

But wait, there's more: I'll also offer to speak to your class by speakerphone or Skype, and give you full credit for bringing me.

I'm extremely busy, so all that time spent with you and your class would constitute a big sacrifice (am I disinterested or what?!). But I really want what's best for you: a big fat "A."

Fig.

Dear Figaro,

Well, if I let you post this exchange on your site, my teacher could find out that I asked you for advice and will not appreciate the gesture since summer reading is supposed to be an independent assignment. However, I will let you post this exchange on your site, even if I suffer from the outcome. So please keep my sacrifice in mind and I will do my best to convince my teacher to vouch for your cause.

Alana

Dear Alana,

Nothing is more independent--and beautifully rhetorical--than holding an exchange with an author. If that isn't thinking for yourself, I don't know what is.

But I acknowledge your disinterest ploy nontheless. Keep me posted.

Fig.

Dear Figaro,

As the matter of fact I am writing a paper, though Jefferson is just a part of it. That is among figures of speech found in other presidetial addresses. I did not have any problems identifying figures of speech in modern addresses (Obama's, Clinton's etc) but the Jefferson's address is a kind of issue. :) I managed to find some obvious ones - anaphora, antithesis, alliteration, metaphors for example - but not the 'subtle ones'. I do not know if that is a valid exuce but Being a student from Slovenia, it is kind of difficult to understand the language of Jefferson with all the complex sentences, appositions and so on.
Thank you for understanding.
I appreciate your effort. Nataly

Dear Nataly,

Would that Americans were working so hard on American rhetoric! I don't blame you for finding Jefferson hard to parse, figuratively. While I can't help you write the paper, go to Wordhero.org for a good description of figures, then see how many you can match to the speech.

For example, "anxious and awful presentiments." That's alliteration, isn't it? "The greatness of the charge and the weakness of my powers..." a figure of contrast, no? What would you call "steer with safety the vessel"?

You'll find two or three devices in each Jeffersonian sentence. Take them one phrase or clause at a time, and don't drown in the endless sentences!

Fig.

Hi Figaro, can you please tell me what is the figurative language being portrayed in the sentance?

"I climbed up the door and opened the stairs."


Thank you.

Peterni

Dear Pete,

Ah, the Spoonerism! Named for the eponymous and malaproptastic Oxford dean, William Archibald Spooner, the Spoonerism reverses thoughts or word sounds, usually by accident. "You have tasted a whole worm," the reverend Spooner is said to have lectured a truant student. "Please leave Oxford on the next town drain."

Most linguists limit the Spoonerism to word sounds; but Figaro believes that the switching extends to concepts as well. The roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd. Spooner himself couldn't do better.

Fig.

Dear Figaro,

would you be so kind and tell me what figures of speech can you identify in Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural address?

Nataly

Dear Nataly,

Are we, perhaps, writing a paper?

Fig.

Figaro,

In you section of 10 ways to use figures, you listed dilemma as a way to control am issue. How would you use a dilemma that way? Is it to demonstrate your opponent's assertion leads to nowhere productive? Is it a way to show how there wasn't anything you could have done in a situation because you had a no win situation?

Dear Figaro,

One Greek Mr. X says, "All Cretans are liars." X himself is from Crete.
Q: Is this a literary figure?
What is the solution to this 'problem'?

Christian

Dear Christian,

Ah, the old Epimenides paradox! Epimenides, a Cretan, wrote these famous words about 2,600 years ago in a poem about Zeus. Philosophers call it a "self-referential paradox," because the paradox arises from the speaker himself. Therefore it's technically not an autophasia, or Catch-22 but a plain old philosophical conundrum.

The solution? Stay away from Crete. Besides being allegedly full of liars, we hear the economy is terrible.

Fig.

Figaro;

On the subject of Conservatives being good at labelling, I'm not sure I understand how labels work. Can you comment on my following attempts at labeling.

1. Government through the highest Bidder
2. Big business owned Government
3. Industry welfare {i think this was already done}
4. Pro industry propaganda

AiR

Dear AiRman,

You're getting there. "Government of the highest bidder" has been out there for a while. I'm not particularly fond of it, because it's not concrete enough. You want to conjure a single person or caricature--a particular crooked fatcat everybody loves to hate. Who would that be? Or do we love all rich people (go, Trump!) these days?

"Big-business owned government" similarly isn't specific enough. Ditto with "pro-industry propaganda."

Learn your Belonging Tropes; you'll find them explained on my new site, Wordhero.org. That's where the best labels lie.

Label on!

Fig.

Fig,

I just finished Thank You for Arguing. I enjoyed it and have pre-ordered your next book.

Here’s my question or situation:

I’m a junior manager; my boss often attempts to belittle me during meetings with upper management. Here are two examples:

Example 1

Condescending Boss is presenting a proposal with upper management present; I’m following along with my copy. Condescending Boss suddenly stops and says to me, “I can see you don’t understand, but don’t interrupt me until I’m finished and then I’ll answer your questions.” (I had no intentions of interrupting, nor did I have a question.) I felt like any response on my part would appear petty or unprofessional.

Example 2

Condescending Boss informs me in a private email that he will complete XYZ, one of our shared responsibilities, while I’m out of state working on another project. When I return two weeks later, he says (in front of upper management), “You need to take care of XYZ –it’s been sitting here since you left.” Again, how can I respond in the presence of upper management without appearing insubordinate or petty?

Thanks in advance for your rhetorical guidance,

Jim

Dear Jim,

My first move would be to update my resume. A scornful boss is an unending misery.

Still, you show good instincts in wanting to play to a different audience: specifically, Mr. X's superiors. Your second example gives you the opportunity to act innocent: "You've been pretty busy, huh? I'll jump right on it." One of the best ways to handle a cynical opponent is to ironically assume pure motives on his part. Your superiors will probably see right through it. If he says, "What do you mean? This is your project," then you reply, "Then we had a disconnect. I understood that you were going to finish it while I was doing the XYZ job. No worries, I'll handle it."

In your first example, I'm assuming that the boss is the senior person in the meeting. The safest bet is to smile and say nothing. But if you want to get some respect from colleagues, say, "You're quite the mind reader." Now, polish that resume--fast.

Fig.

Dear Figaro,

Is there a figure of speech that describes the deliberate use of "ain't" or other nonstandard or nongrammatical words or forms? The use of "ain't" certainly has a noticeable rhetorical effect.

Many thanks for the entertainment and education!

Yours,
Candace

Dear Candace,

As far as I know, the ancients didn't have a name for affected speech that brings the speaker to the level of the hoi polloi; most orators back then were trying to sound upper-class. When you try to sound fancy and blow it ("He invited him and I to the party"), that's a kind of cacozelia. Saying "ain't" is the opposite.

I call the affect use of words like "folks" (you listening, President Obama?) and "ain't" FOLKISTRY. It's sophistry for the folk. And I ain't lying.

Fig.

Dear Figaro,

I just recently discovered you had a blog after you mentioned it in your book.

I'd love to see you on Twitter, perhaps it could change your idea on the Internet & the way it's helping shape modern day democracy.

Best Regards,
Ahmad

Dear Ahmad,

I plan to use Twitter to help promote Word Hero, but won't want to do much following on it. The Internet has many tools--Twitter and other social networking among them--and Figaro uses him in his consulting work. But Twitter in particular has its limitations. It's a medium of ethos, or identity--not good for conveying logical thoughts but excellent for bringing groups together and making them feel united. Revolutions depend on this kind of identity.

But we're mistaken in thinking that technology changes human character. If it did, Aristotle wouldn't make any sense at all. And when it comes to rhetoric, Aristotle is the man. We humans haven't changed much in the past few millennium.

Fig.

Dear Figaro,

Just wanted to give you an argument my Mom told me when I was about 14 or so (I'm now 52)....Seattle Times headline below the fold, front page: "SeaFirst Bank only gives 16.7% of its loans to Black people".

Mom, very VERRRRY liberal, wanted me, of course, to believe that this was proof that black people were being railroaded and shoved into a back of the bus life and I said (astounded that she couldn't see the error in the headline) "Mom, what's the % of black people in the Seattle area?"....naturally, she couldn't understand why this had any bearing at all on the issue and said "how the hell should I know"....and the census had just come out a few weeks prior, oddly enough, the %'s of racial groups had been published in, none other than.....the Seattle Times and I said "less than 9.5% Mom"....she said "so?" and then I explained to her that knowing that black people as a group tend to have lower credit ratings than whites (whites typically have still lower credit ratings than Asians), that blacks were being treated exponentially better in the credit department than all other classes of borrowers because the banks were scared shitless to be cornered by the head banking dudes in DC saying...."why are you treating blacks so poorly?".

It took me about a half hour but eventually she could see that the purpose of the headline was to elicit exactly the response she had given, that whites and asians by virtue were the downtrodden class in this instance and that the reporter had simply not done their homework in any way shape or form....and that their "facts" were in fact.....not at all.

Jon

Dear Figaro,

Are you familiar with the Columbo Technique, being put forward by Greg Koukl? What do you thing of it's effectiveness?

TC

Dear TC,

Koukl's "Columbo Tactic," as he describes it on his site, Stand to Reason (www.str.org), asks questions for tactical reasons to reveal flaws in an opponent's argument. We'd qualify it as a form of APORIA, the tactic of feigning ignorance. (Use the search box on the right if you want to see examples of aporia.)

While the the rhetorical question that doesn't look rhetorical makes for a good logical technique, we're not sure we like the Columbo label. The TV Columbo's big technique wasn't the leading question (what detective doesn't ask leading questions?). It was the last-second question, after his victim thinks the interview is over. "Oh, I almost forgot..."

Columbo's real rhetorical technique was KAIROS, the art of timing.

Fig.

Dear Figaro

I would like to ask about figure of speech and figurative language. Are they the same? or different? I need the answer so badly. Also, can you give me an article or book that write about it?

Thank you so much.

Rusdi

Dear Rusdi,

Figurative language comprises the unusual order of words, or the use of unusual words. Figures of speech are words arranged in striking ways. So figures fall under figurative language. But so do tropes--non-literal language. If none of this makes sense to you, browse this site.

In the "Best Books" section (see the top of this page), you'll find a great guide to figures. If you can wait till October, you can buy my next book, Word Hero. It's all about figurative language, and how to use it to make a memorable sentence.

Fig.

Dear Figaro,
At work we have a daily morning huddle/ meeting (its as bad as it sounds) There is always some frission between the manager and one of our caseworkers. She has a really annoying of pretending to find something funny as a way of undermining what the manager says. Its really patronising. What is this called? I cannot verbalise why its so annoying. And no I'm not the manager :o)
Geoff

Dear Geoff,

We would call that annoying trait "belittlement"--the rhetorical act of making someone seem smaller. What's more belittling than laughing at someone, after all?

Aristotle said that belittlement is the chief cause of anger, particularly among young men. What's the cure? Encourage the case worker to reply, with smile, "I wasn't trying to be funny, but I admire your ability to find humor everywhere." Yeah, that's belittling as well. But duller minds won't notice.

Fig.