Rhetorical devices

Allusion and direct references 

In her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama makes several direct references and allusions to events that have shaped people’s understanding of the year 2020. First, she refers to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, which have become central points of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and protests throughout the US. According to Obama, their deaths have been caused by racism, encouraged by Donald Trump:

And here at home, as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and a never-ending list of innocent people of color continue to be murdered, stating the simple fact that a Black life matters is still met with derision from the nation's highest office. (ll. 41-43) 

Then, Michelle Obama alludes to Donald Trump’s policies. She refers to Trump’s anti-immigrant and family separation policy when she mentions the separation of immigrant parents and children: “they watch in horror as children are torn from their families and thrown into cages” (ll. 64-65). 

She also alludes to Trump’s mistakes in managing the relationsh...