Rhetorical device

From A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide

ad hominem[edit | edit source]

apophasis[edit | edit source]

  • also called "Paralipsis"
  • author mentions an argument or fact in order to deny it or to deny using it
  • also used to mention something indirectly
  • = a form of irony
    • may be seen as a "passive-aggressive" argument
      • in that it states something while apologizing for having stated it
  • examples:
    • "But we won't talk about my opponent's disastrous married life"
    • "It would be a breach of decorum to mention base morals such as she embodies"
  • actual use of paralipses:
    • during Prohibition (when sale of alcohol was banned), a grape juice company included this paralipsis on its grape concentrate packaging:
      • "After dissolving the brick in a gallon of water, do not place the liquid in a jug away in the cupboard for twenty days, because then it would turn into wine."
    • during the 1984 presidential debates, Ronald Reagan, who was much older than his opponent, stated,
      • "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."

paralipsis[edit | edit source]

  • see Apophasis