What is a rhetorical question like a stylistic figure

The art of speech is the only one that does not requirefor creativity no improvised material, no clay, no stone, no colors - only a talent for owning a word. If human memory kept everything for ever, even paper would not be required.

But for many it is easier to build a fortress from a stone,than one sentence, a thought and a feeling. To teach this art called ancient science of rhetoric. She gave the name to a group of stylistic means - rhetorical figures. She explains what a rhetorical question and other figures are, and also teaches them how to use them properly in speech. Before finding out what a rhetorical question is and what its functions are, we will find out exactly which turns are rhetorical figures.

Rhetorical refers to such figures of speech,which are built on verbal revolutions of a conditionally dialogical nature. Rhetorical figures arise from the violation of communicative-logical norms of utterance, since those dialogical intonations that they introduce into the process of speech are not designed for a real answer or reciprocal practical action, as is customary in "live" communication. This live communication in everyday life is a dialogue that serves primarily the needs of information exchange between its participants. It consists of such appeals to the interlocutor, which presuppose an answer or induce him to concrete actions. The dialogical nature of the rhetorical turns is quite conventional, and their use in the artistic work is designed to solve the following problems:

• individualized speech of characters;
• strengthening the expressiveness and emotional fullness of the speech of the author and heroes;
• emphasis on important aspects for the author of the phenomenon depicted.

In some cases, rhetorical figures can perform a compositional role.

Modern literary critics to rhetorical figurescarry references, denials, exclamations and questions. How do they explain what a rhetorical question is, rhetorical appeal, rhetorical exclamation and denial? Let's consider the appeal. It is rhetorical if it does not aim to establish a real contact with the person, object or phenomenon addressed, but serves only to draw the attention of the reader to them and express the speaker's attitude. Such treatment is also called "nominative presentation." Here is an example: "Moscow! How much in this sound ... "Rhetorical appeals are often used in verse than in prosaic texts, where it, among other things, quite often forms," ​​introduces "the theme of the work. As here: "Oh joy! There is so much emptiness in the heart that you can not manage, you can not ... "

The next figure is a rhetorical question -It is equally common in prose and poetry. So what is a rhetorical question like a stylistic figure? This is a question that is asked for the purpose of aphoristic generalization and affirmation of a well-known or obvious truth. To get an answer - such a goal poses a traditional question, a rhetorical answer does not need it, since the answer is contained in itself: "Have you overslept again?" Sometimes the role of the rhetorical question is to motivate the further development of an artistic presentation, to promote a deeper discovery important semantic aspects that accompany him: "It's a dream, and tomorrow everything will be different?" For someone, probably, it will be a discovery that there are not only questions, but also rhetorical answers. Or rather, the negation, which has the form of a response to a possible assumption, assumption or personal opinion of an imaginary interlocutor: "No, my friend, no one is waiting for us there!"

The rhetorical exclamation is an utterance,which is characterized by a special expressiveness and stressed-emotional character. It is introduced primarily to attract attention or increase the emphasis on this or that aspect of the depicted subject: "O view insidious and attracting!" All the listed figures fulfill their role in the text of the work, but the common thing is that they all make this text expressive and emotional .

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