Rhetorical devices

Allusions and references

Bill Clinton’s “I Have Sinned” speech contains several religious allusions. For example, he alludes to Psalm 34:18, which talks about God’s support for people whose spirits are crushed: “Second, what my bible calls a ''broken spirit''; an understanding that I must have God's help to be the person that I want to be…”. The allusion helps Clinton portray himself as a religious man.

Towards the end of his speech, Clinton refers to a passage from the Yom Kippur service, which focuses on God’s influence on the path to repentance: “A couple of days ago when I was in Florida a Jewish friend of mine gave me this liturgy book called ‘Gates of Repentance.’ And there was this incredible passage from the Yom Kippur liturgy. I would like to rea...