Friday, March 21, 2014

What is the effect of polyptoton in a rhetorical writing?For example, what is the effect of polyptoton in this quote:“We know through painful...

The Greek origin rhetorical device called " title="Polyptoton: Silva Rhetoricae"
href="http://rhetoric.byu.edu/figures/p/polyptoton.htm">polyptoton" is a
means of dramatically and persuasively enhancing meaning in speech or writing by using a
word and a cognate of the word in the same sentence or in close proximity. A cognate of
a word is a word that shares a common etymological origin with the first. Etymology is
origin of a word, the history of a word or a morpheme. An example of cognation is
eat and its cognate eating or
provide and its cognate provider. In the quote
above polyptoton occurs between the word oppressor and its cognate
oppressed. These words share the same etymology and are in close
proximity to each other. In addition, the polyptoton enhances the rhetorical effect by
increasing the dramaticality and the persuasiveness of the statement. Polyptoton also
draws an irony or a paradox to the surface. Nation
Master Encyclopedia
has some good examples of polyptotons that draw ironies
and paradoxes in situations.


readability="9">

John F. Kennedy: "Not as a call to battle, though
embattled we are."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "Let me assert my firm belief
that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Sir Philip Sidney: "Thou
art of blood, joy not to make things
bleed."



The first draws out
the irony of the situation Kennedy is addressing. FDR's polyptoton reveals a paradox.
Sir Philip Sydney's shows in reverse the irony of someone of blood wishing to make one
bleed.

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