Argumentative devices

One of your exam questions asks you to focus on Tim Minchin’s argumentative devices in his “Occasional Address”. The use of argumentative devices is strongly connected to other points we have already covered in the previous sections, such as rhetorical devices and forms of appeal. 

In what follows, we will present some of the more specific types of argumentative devices used by Minchin and consider how convincing they are. Minchin relies on personal anecdotes and self-irony to make himself more convincing. Although he jokes about not being a suitable inspirational speaker (ll. 14-16), his personal stories related to his academic career and artistic career make him more convincing. The way he presents his experiences help him appear trustworthy a...