Writing Help 129 | - ☆ Freelance Writer
Apr 04, 2013 | #1
Using Advanced Rhetorical Devices to Surprise and Delight
Continuing with the recent trend this series has adopted, this article will once again deal with a device that presents an intentional error in order to exploit a rhetorical effect. Of course, even devices of this kind are never simply built around the insertion of random errors, but rather rely on the common knowledge of standard language in order to contradict the expectations of the reader in an ordered and systematic way. So, although rules are being broken, they are broken according to specific criteria which allow consistent effects to rise to the surface.
As for most of the devices we have covered so far in this series, epanorthosis is fairly common in everyday speech, and occurs frequently in written prose, especially creative writing. In the case of epanorthosis, we have a device that not only presents an error, but one which also includes its own correction. The following sentence provides a good example of this term in action: "We fished for hours, no, days!" As you can see, epanorthosis begins by introducing a statement of fact, and concludes by correcting this statement. The type of epanorthosis presented here most often deals with magnitude or quantity; the original assertion makes a relatively modest claim, and the correction increases it significantly. The effect of this device is similar to that used in advertising (indeed, this device features prominently in many ads), where the salesperson gives a particular price for an item or series of items which is supposed to seem reasonable or normal, and then offers a remarkably discounted price. This exaggerates the value of the deal in question, and although the second term is lesser than the first, the magnitude of the deal is exaggerated. In the same kind of advertising, sellers will often offer a product for a given price, and then correct this initial offer by adding other features or more copies of the product, once more making the magnitude of the deal more impressive.
Another species of this device can occur after a Freudian slip or a slip of the tongue, in which an individual says one word in place of another apparently by accident, and then corrects it with the proper word, as in the following example: "That doctor is a quack - I mean a crack diagnostician!" Here, as in the first example, a statement is made (or mostly made: diagnostician is needed to complete the thought), but it is immediately corrected. The primary difference between this example and the previous one is that humor and biting wit are the goals in this case, whereas in the previous example the goal was exaggeration through comparison. The person apparently intended to state that the doctor was a crack diagnostician, meaning she diagnoses patients like a "crack shot" hits her target - with unfailing accuracy. However, he "accidentally" substitutes quack for crack in his initial construction of the sentence. Noticing he has said this, he immediately corrects himself, and fills in the correct word with added emphasis, concluding the thought. But of course, this is no accident. Because of the similar sounds of the words crack and quack, the speaker of the sentence has been able to create a kind of pun, which likely expresses his true feelings about the doctor. This device is a staple of television comedy, where the social norms of a given situation prevent the speaker from saying what he or she really feels. Instead, the individual states his or her honest belief quickly, and then rescinds it immediately, pretending that he or she merely got the similar sounding word wrong. In real life, this would be offensive and no one would actually believe that the individual made any kind of error at all, but in the realm of fiction, we can suspend our disbelief and enjoy the humor this device generates.
Epanorthosis
Continuing with the recent trend this series has adopted, this article will once again deal with a device that presents an intentional error in order to exploit a rhetorical effect. Of course, even devices of this kind are never simply built around the insertion of random errors, but rather rely on the common knowledge of standard language in order to contradict the expectations of the reader in an ordered and systematic way. So, although rules are being broken, they are broken according to specific criteria which allow consistent effects to rise to the surface.
As for most of the devices we have covered so far in this series, epanorthosis is fairly common in everyday speech, and occurs frequently in written prose, especially creative writing. In the case of epanorthosis, we have a device that not only presents an error, but one which also includes its own correction. The following sentence provides a good example of this term in action: "We fished for hours, no, days!" As you can see, epanorthosis begins by introducing a statement of fact, and concludes by correcting this statement. The type of epanorthosis presented here most often deals with magnitude or quantity; the original assertion makes a relatively modest claim, and the correction increases it significantly. The effect of this device is similar to that used in advertising (indeed, this device features prominently in many ads), where the salesperson gives a particular price for an item or series of items which is supposed to seem reasonable or normal, and then offers a remarkably discounted price. This exaggerates the value of the deal in question, and although the second term is lesser than the first, the magnitude of the deal is exaggerated. In the same kind of advertising, sellers will often offer a product for a given price, and then correct this initial offer by adding other features or more copies of the product, once more making the magnitude of the deal more impressive.Another species of this device can occur after a Freudian slip or a slip of the tongue, in which an individual says one word in place of another apparently by accident, and then corrects it with the proper word, as in the following example: "That doctor is a quack - I mean a crack diagnostician!" Here, as in the first example, a statement is made (or mostly made: diagnostician is needed to complete the thought), but it is immediately corrected. The primary difference between this example and the previous one is that humor and biting wit are the goals in this case, whereas in the previous example the goal was exaggeration through comparison. The person apparently intended to state that the doctor was a crack diagnostician, meaning she diagnoses patients like a "crack shot" hits her target - with unfailing accuracy. However, he "accidentally" substitutes quack for crack in his initial construction of the sentence. Noticing he has said this, he immediately corrects himself, and fills in the correct word with added emphasis, concluding the thought. But of course, this is no accident. Because of the similar sounds of the words crack and quack, the speaker of the sentence has been able to create a kind of pun, which likely expresses his true feelings about the doctor. This device is a staple of television comedy, where the social norms of a given situation prevent the speaker from saying what he or she really feels. Instead, the individual states his or her honest belief quickly, and then rescinds it immediately, pretending that he or she merely got the similar sounding word wrong. In real life, this would be offensive and no one would actually believe that the individual made any kind of error at all, but in the realm of fiction, we can suspend our disbelief and enjoy the humor this device generates.