Rhetorical devices

In this part of the study guide, we will provide a few ideas related to the rhetorical devices used by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, in her speech.

Enumeration

To make the students connect to her ideas, Michelle Obama uses the enumeration. She wishes to appeal to a variety of students with a variety of interests: “You might be dreaming of becoming a doctor or a teacher; maybe a mechanic or a software designer. Or you might not know what you want to do right now –- and that’s fine.” (par. 25, ll.1-3)

Repetition

Michelle Obama uses repetition to highlight the importance of higher education: “But no matter what path you choose, no matter what dreams you have, you have got to do whatever it takes to continue your education after high school.” (par. 25, ll.3-5) and “... at the end of the day, no matter what the President does, no matter what your teachers and principals do or whatever is going on in your home or in your neighborhood...” (par. 13, ll.1-4)

Anaphora

It means the repetition of a w...