The rhetorical question is how an effective orator is used to persuade or attract attention. But how to learn how to set it correctly so as not to get into awkwardness? We will tell about all the intricacies of using this rhetorical figure.
What is a rhetorical question
A rhetorical question is a turn of speech, which, having the form of a question, does not require an answer. In fact, this statement is with interrogative intonation, easily transformed into a regular sentence.
To err is human. - Is it human to make mistakes?
If a disease comes, the person should be treated. - Do I need to be treated when the disease comes?
Such an appeal suggests that all addressees know the answer in advance, so they will not utter their thoughts out loud. But consciousness will still respond by creating an internal image and a stream of associations. The illusion of conversation and dialogue makes listeners involved, although in reality everyone can stay in their territory of comfort.
The most common rhetorical question is found in prose and poetry, journalism, articles on public topics, political speeches and debates.
This stylistic figure has the following functions:
- Emphasize expressiveness;
- To surrender to the maxim of emotional coloring;
- Pay attention to the speaker;
- Move to a specific event or location;
- Arouse curiosity about yourself or your performance;
- To engage in conversation;
- Put emphasis on contrast, opposites;
- To quote, mention a celebrity, referring to her experience.
What are the rhetorical questions
- Interrogative rhetorical. A person formulates a phrase in such a way as to give an emotional assessment of what is happening, to express a personal attitude:
How could I forget the phone at home? (condemnation of his own confusion, character traits).
- Incentive. They are mentor in nature, calling for action, but are formulated softer than an order.
Are you still not going to go to your top shelf? (polite but harsh request to move to your place on the train).
- Negative. They deny some events or phenomena, although in their structure the particle "not" is absent.
That was once 18 years old: can I get back the time ago? (regret about the past, awareness of the fact that youth does not return).
- Affirmative. They enhance self-righteousness. Characterized by categorical, pronounced emotionality, assertiveness, sometimes even arrogance.
How can you dress like that? (negligence, condemnation of the appearance of another person).
Are there people who do not like chocolate? (the conviction that chocolate should love everything, surprise with a bit of irony).
The rhetorical question can carry both negative and positive messages:
- Empathy, care, support:
You feel bad?
You did the right thing. Who would like it?
Doesn’t the chef realize that you are a living person too?
- Cynicism, provocation, sarcasm:
How can you be so loose?
Do you think that one such?
And what will be your next blunder?
How to understand the rhetorical question: 4 tips
Everyone has their own perception of the world, so there is nothing surprising in the fact that the heard figure of speech seems incomprehensible. In this case, it is worth spending time to accurately understand the meaning that bears the sayings.
- If the phrase is “drawn out” from a literary work, it should be considered in the context of the era in which the author lived, the image of the hero, as well as the main idea of the text itself.
- Most open questions have become idioms, you can find them in the dictionary of phraseological units and popular expressions. It is there that they are told about their origin, examples are given where it is appropriate to use this figure of speech.
- Pereinachit appeal so that it becomes a statement: "I am an enemy myself?" ("I am not an enemy myself").
- Take into account the portable or hidden meaning. Often, the speaker, using a variety of stylistic figures, tries to veil the essence, so as not to seem too banal.
How and where to use rhetorically correctly
Before you use a rhetorical question, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of its formulation:
- Ponder what thought this figure should convey, how to influence the listener.
- Make sure that in this communicative situation it will be possible to avoid ambiguity, misunderstanding.
- Minimize the issue by removing unnecessary, incomprehensible, distracting or overly complex words from it.
- In order to attract the attention of the audience and bring it out of rest, this rhetorical figure must be used at the beginning of speech.
- To summarize it should be used at the end of the monologue.
- Such questions are appropriate to use along with other Ithoric figures of speech: exclamation and appeal.
- All revolutions require a clear and correct pronunciation, a confident voice, as well as accompaniment with appropriate facial expressions and gestures.
A properly formulated stylistic figure is remembered for a long time, pushes for reflection and causes a pause in the form of a thoughtful silence of the audience. If this happens, success is achieved.
When the rhetorical question is raised
Most often the rhetorical question is posed in two cases:
- When the answer is too obvious, the communicator only needs to be pushed to conclusions or thoughts.
You will not force a person to love reading if you do not arouse an interest in literature. Will he not drink if he has no thirst?
- When the answer to the question is not known to anyone or does not exist at all.
Who is to blame?
What to do?
The rhetorical question - Churchill's secret weapon
British statesman and political figure Winston Churchill went down in history as a master of rhetoric, thinker, writer, journalist. His performances were a stunning success, influencing the course of history. The word became for him a real weapon, causing the common sense of a large audience.
In 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Churchill was invited to take part in a joint congress meeting. During his speech, he, after reading the “list of the damage caused,” stated that he did not find a logical explanation for the actions of the Japanese and considered them to be people who had lost their mind. After a significant pause, the speaker asked:
What do you think they are?
The reaction of the hall was not long in coming. Present senators, politicians, journalists rose from their seats, exploding applause. This rhetorical question, raised by Churchill at the right time, said more than the hours of speeches by other congressmen.
Churchill revealed the secret of his oratorical skill: the reception of a strong rhetorical question can be used in a monologue only once. A prerequisite is this: it should sound simple and sharp. One line is the ideal length for this speech figure.
The rhetorical question can be a powerful weapon of any speaker, if he learns to use it. This is easy if you remember a few important rules, adhere to our recommendations and take Churchill's secret into account.
