| Hypophora: Figure of reasoning in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one's own question(s). |
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| Examples | |
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"When the enemy struck on that June day of 1950, what did America do? It did what it always has done in all its times of peril. It appealed to the heroism of its youth." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower, I Shall Go to Korea Address |
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"How many men ever went
to a barbecue and would let one man take off the table what they intended
for 9/10 of the people to eat? The only way you'll ever be able to
feed the balance of the people is to make that man come back and bring
back some of that grub he ain't got no business with."
-- Huey P. Long, Address to Senate Staffers |
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"It is almost preposterous
on my part to advocate your loyalty to Franklin D. Roosevelt. And why, may I ask you?
Simply because the money-changers are being driven from the temple.
Simply because the outworn gold standard which held you and myself in
bondage for generations has evaporated into the mists of the past." -- Father Charles Coughlin, Roosevelt or Ruin |
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"Since we have come so far, whom shall be rash enough to set limits on our future progress? Who shall say that since we have gone so far, we can go no farther? Who shall say that the American dream is ended? For myself, I believe that all we have done upon this continent is but a prelude to a future in which we shall become not only a bigger people but also a wiser people, a better people, an even greater people." -- Adlai Stevenson, 1953 Stump Speech Note: Can you spot the epistrophe? |
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"What is George Bush doing about our economic problems? He has raised taxes on the people driving pickup trucks and lowered taxes on the people riding in limousines." -- William Jefferson Clinton, 1992 DNC Acceptance Address Note: Can you spot the antithesis? |
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"Just what are the problems in Los Angeles in those households in which a mother and father are both resident? How may a national ethos be ignited on the subject of single parent procreation? An attitude has to evolve that begins with solemnizing marriage." -- William F. Buckley, Reflections on Current Contentions |
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"In 1982, corporate growers gave [George] Deukmejian one
million dollars to run for governor of California. Since he took office, Deukmejian has
paid back his debt to the growers with the blood and sweat of California farm
workers. Instead of enforcing the law as it was written against those who break
it, Deukmejian invites growers who break the law to seek relief from governor's
appointees. What does all this mean for farm workers? It means that the right to
vote in free elections is a sham. It means the right to talk freely about the
union among your fellow workers on the job is a cruel hoax. It means that the
right to be free from threats and intimidation by growers is an empty promise.
It means that the right to sit down and negotiate with your employer as equals
across the bargaining table and not as peons in the fields is a fraud. It means
that thousands of farm workers, who are owed millions of dollars in back pay
because their employers broke the law, are still waiting for their checks. It
means that 36,000 farm workers, who voted to be represented by the United Farm
Workers in free elections, are still waiting for contracts from growers who
refuse to bargain in good faith. It means that for farm workers child labor will
continue. It means that infant mortality will continue. It means that -- It
means that malnutrition among children will continue. It means the short life expectancy
and the inhuman living and working conditions will continue." -- Cesar Chavez, Commonwealth Club Address Note: Also anaphora ("It means that....") and antithesis ("...as equals across the bargaining table and not as peons in the fields.") |
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