Rhetorical devices

Rhetorical devices are language techniques that a speaker uses to convey meaning with the goal of persuading him or her to reflect on a topic from a different perspective. 

Repetition

In “Teach girls bravery, not perfection” by Reshma Saujani, repetition is used in connection to the idea of being brave. Words like ‘brave’, ‘bravery’ or ‘courageous’ frequently reappear in the text and keep the receivers...

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Irony

Irony is used by the author in the form of self-irony at the beginning of the speech when she describes her experience with running for Congress. The self-irony helps show that she is not perfect herself and to make the receivers more comfortable with her speech:

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Comparisons and contrasts

Throughout the speech, Saujani uses a lot of comparisons and contrasts to outline her arguments. She compares boys and girls’ attitudes towards challenges and often makes distinctions between being perfect and taking risks:

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Metaphorical language

The most relevant example of metaphorical language used in the text is when the speaker associates women’s lack of bravery with a budgetary deficit, which emphasizes the idea that, from her perspective,...

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Direct address

Finally, the speaker uses direct address, urging the receivers to take action based on her arguments:

And so I need each of you to tell every young woman you know – your sister, your niece, your employee, your colleague...

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