Examples of Ciceronian Rhetorical Devices in Modern Political Speeches

Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound, usually at the beginning of successive words.

"Beautiful baby boy" - Sarah Palin

"This is a flight for the future" - Hillary Clinton

"America cannot long lead the family of nations if we fail the family here at home" - Mitt Romney

Allusion: A brief reference to information with which the author assumes the audience is familiar, but which is outside the context of the work.

It's a long way from fear and pain and the squalor of a six-by-four cell in Hanoi..."- Sarah Palin

"To my supporters, my champions- my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits" - Hillary Clinton

It's time for the party of big ideas, not the party of Big Brother" - Mitt Romney

Analogy: An extended form of simile which compares two categorically dissimilar items, ideas, or objects in order to explain the less familiar in terms of the more familiar.

Anaphora: The repetition of the same word(s) at the beginning of successive clauses or phrases.

"...a time for leadership...a time to campaign and a time to put our country first." - Sarah Palin

"...plans to raise income taxes...raise payroll taxes... raise investment income taxes...raise the death tax...raise business taxes..." - Sarah Palin

"..men and women-students and solders, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors- found the courage to keep it alive..." - Barack Obama

"We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage... We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created... We measure the strength of the economy... " -Barack Obama

"We will attack the problem on every front.We will produce more energy at home.We will drill new wells offshore and we`ll drill them now.We will build more nuclear power plants.We will develop clean coal technology.We will increase the use of wind,tide,solar and natural gas.We will encourage the development and use.." - John McCain

"A proud mother. A proud Democrat. A proud American. And a proud supporter of Barack Obama"- Hillary Clinton

"I will always remember the single mom who had adopted two kids with autism... I will always remember the young man in a Marine Corps t-shirt... I will always remember the boy who told me his mom worked for minimum wage... i will always be greatful to everyone from all fifty states..."- Hillary Clinton

" Your hard work, your, devotion to duty, your love for for your children, and your determination to keep going" - Hillary Clinton

Antistrophe: The repetition of the same word(s) at the end of successive clauses or phrases.

Antithesis: A rhetorical balancing of opposite ideas or phrases for a sense of emphasis or contrast.

"All you ever asked of government is to stand on your side,not in your way" - John McCain

"America cannot long lead the family of nations if we fail the family here att home!" -Mit Romney

"its the time for the party of big ideas, not the party of the big brother!"

"It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it." -Barack Obama

Asyndeton: The omission of customary connecting words to create a “rapid-fire” effect.

Chiasmus: A “crossing over”. An ABBA or ABCBA, etc. arrangement or elements in a line.

"You are everyone's equal, and everyone is equal to you." -Joe Biden
"We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us" - John McCain

Crescendo: The gradual building of words or phrases in order of importance or intensity. with
Climax: The highpoint of an argument following a crescendo.

"The American people have always been the source of our nation's strength and they always will be!" -Mit Romney

Ellipsis: The omission of words which must be understood from context.

Hendiadys: “One Through Two”. Using two nouns to express one idea usually best translated by treating one noun as if it were an adjective modifying the other noun.

Hyperbaton: The placement of an adjective far before the noun it modifies in order to emphasize the intensity of the adjective.

Hyperbole: A gross exaggeration to make a point, but not to be taken literally.

"She poured everything she had into me." -Barack Obama

Irony: Saying one thing and meaning the opposite.

John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of hell- but he won't even go to the cave where he lives" -Barack Obama

Juxtaposition: “A placing side by side” of two elements for contrast and emphasis.

"...much more unites us than divides us." - John McCain

"...That's not change; that's more of the same." -Joe Biden

"Failure at some point in everyone's life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable." -Joe Biden

"You make a big election out of small things" -Barack Obama

Litotes: Using two negatives to make a vague positive.

"I've never been called a man of few words"- Joe Biden

Metaphor: An implied comparison without the use of “like” or “as”.

"For decades, the Washington sun has been rising in the East" - Mitt Romney

Metonymy: Naming one thing by something closely associated with it.

" we are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines"- Haillary Clinton

Onomatopoeia: The use of words that sound like the sounds they represent.

Oxymoron: The use of two logically contradictory adjectives or terms to describe the same noun.

Personification: Giving human characteristics to non-human beings or object.

"My country saved me" -John McCain
"The government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework" -Barack Obama

Praeteritio: Claiming that a point will not be mentioned but mentioning it anyway.

Rhetorical Question: A question to which no answer is expected; used to draw the audience into a particular line of thought, often without the expectation of careful analysis of the logical argument.

"How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?" - Sarah Palin

"What do you think washington is right now, liberal or conservative?"- Mit Romney

"Do you hear the company may be"Should mom move in with us non that dad is gone?" - Joe Biden

Simile: A comparison using “like” or “as”.

"The pleasures of family life can seem like a brief holiday from the crowded calendar"- John McCain

Synchesis: A repeating pattern of words such as ABAB or ABCABC.

"You are defined by your sense of honor, and you are redeemed by your loyalty." - Joe Biden
"I'd rather lose an election than see my country lose a war" -John McCain

Synecdoche: Naming something by a part instead of the whole.

"The American promise has been threatened once more"- Barack Obama
"It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation" -Barack Obama

Tricolon: A grouping of three words or phrases at the summation of a point.

"Roberta McCain gave us her love of life,her deep interest inthe world, her strenghth,and her belief we are all meant to use our opportunities to make ourselves useful to our country. -John McCain

"This great national cause will create millions of new jobs, many in industries that will be the engine of our future prosperity;jobs that will be there when your children enter the workforce." -John McCain

..." a moment when or nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the american promise has been hreatend once more." - Barack obama

"I accept the call to help..." "I accept the challenge of a tough fight..." " I accept the privilege of serving..." - Sarah Palin

"No way. No how. No McCain."- Hillary Clinton

" It's been a privalige to meet you in your homes, your workplaces, and your communities"- Hillary Clinton

" my supeorters, my champions-- my sisterhood"- Hilary Clinton