Rhetorical devices

Rhetorical devices are language tools that help writers make their arguments and message more memorable and convincing. A few such devices are also present in Michelle Faul’s article “What Life Was Like In South Africa During Apartheid” by Michelle Faul, and we will help you identify interesting examp…

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Allusions and direct references

In Faul’s article, most of the references she makes are direct. For example, she makes direct references to Nelson Mandela, who was a civil rights activist, fighting racial segregation in South Africa: “the system that Nelson Mandela later fought to bring down” (p. 10, ll. 14-15); “…Mandela, who once believed he could end apartheid by reasoning and legal argument.” (p. 12, ll. 15-16)

However, in the above example, there is also an allusion to Mandela’s death, as he had only died a few days earlier. An allusion is an indirect reference to people, event…

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Antithesis

Antithesis refers to constructing opposition, to maintain readers’ attention and emphasize important ideas.

First, you should note that the whole article is constructed on the opposition between how whites and blacks were treated during the apartheid regime. Here are some of the most relevant examples: “In those days, of course, we didn't say ‘blacks’ and ‘whites’.” (p. 10, l. 27); “If you were white, you had access to jobs denied to blacks.” (p. 12, l. 12). Faul’s intention is to emphasize that the black population was the segment of society that was constantly discriminated against during the apartheid.

The idea of econ…

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Imagery and metaphors

The writer constructs a lot of imagery in her article because she vividly describes events and places. One example of imagery is the writer and her sisters trying to urinate next to a gas pump:

…ordered me and my two sisters to urinate right there, very publicly, in front of the fuel pumps. We did not disobey, but I started crying — and my sisters bawled, too. We lowered our shorts, but I was so traumatized that I simply could not go. (p. 10, ll. 5-…

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Humor and irony

To condemn the apartheid regime and convey her criticism, Michelle Faul also uses humor and irony. These devices help the writer make the topic more approachable for the readers.

For example, the writer combines humor with irony when she describes the imprecise ways of establishing a person’s race in South Africa:

…a crazy system of deci…