Rhetorical devices

Rhetorical devices refer to all linguistic techniques designed to make a speech (or a written text) more appealing to the target audience and to convey arguments in a compelling way.

Some of the most important rhetorical devices in “Freedom of Speech and Right to Offend” by Brendan O’Neill are allusions, metanoia, analogy, invectives, sarcasm and irony, and repetition.

Allusions

Allusions (references to past events or historical and literary figures) abound in the speech and represent one of the main ways in which the speaker supports his arguments. In the speech you will find allusions to: John Wycliffe (ll. 4-6), Percy Bysshe Shelley (ll. 8-11), gay magazine “The Chameleon (ll. 16-17), Copernicus (ll. 33-34), John Wilkes (ll. 35-37), and the newspaper “Gay News” (ll. 38-41).

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Repetition

Repetition is used throughout the speech as it helps the speaker to keep the audience focused on his message and the ideas he wants to convey. For instance, he uses very similar constructions to end his allusions and create analogies with the present: “…that person would have been described as offensive.” (l. 3, l. 8, l. 15); “That was certainly the experience of...” (ll. 4-5, ll. 8-9, l. 16); “He would have been denounced, shouted at and eventually no-platformed.” (l. 4); “He would have been booed, hissed at, no-platformed.” (ll. 15-16)

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Sarcasm and irony

Sarcasm and irony are also introduced at some points in the text, designed to bring a critique to student leaders censoring the right to offend by making them realise the irony of their situation:

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Rhetorical question and invective

Only one rhetorical question is used in the speech, which engages the audience but is also used to underline what the speaker considers an obvious idea: “Why? Because it was offensive.” (l. 17)

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