Rhetorical Questions
PROGRAM: “IN A WORD”
EPISODE: RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
At the Texas A&M University Writing Center, one of our slogans is “We answer rhetorical questions.”
Technically, though, we can’t. Oh, we can answer questions about rhetoric, but rhetorical questions are, by definition, questions no one expects to be answered.
They’re really statements, posed as questions, like “What has happened to common decency?” or “Will we stand for this injustice?” The purpose of a rhetorical question is to make a point, usually in a big way. It’s a dramatic gesture.
Technically, not every un-answerable question is a rhetorical question. Some questions are just meant to be nonsensical, or fun, like “Who let the dogs out?” When the speaker or writer asks a question and then answers it, it’s not, strictly speaking, a rhetorical question, either. For example, a speaker might ask, “How did we get into this mess?” and then give an analysis of what went wrong. That’s more of a dialogue, with the question being used as a transition, to show the reader what’s coming next.
Rhetorical questions, on the other hand, are distinguished by their function. They can invite agreement, stir up emotion, or increase audience engagement. They also contribute to rhythm. Writers and speakers create rhythm in part by varying sentence lengths and types: adding questions is one way to achieve that.
Rhetorical questions should be used sparingly, though. You can, however, use a string of them, and speakers often do, to create a rhetorical flourish. Shylock, in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, gives a speech including a string of rhetorical questions:
“If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”
A memorable use of a two rhetorical questions in succession can be found in Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, when he asked, “Can we forge against these enemies a grand and noble alliance -- North and South, East and West—that can ensure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?”
Finally, use the rhetorical question to get your audience to join you, not to antagonize or bait them.
So leave out “How can we be so idiotic?” and stick with something more like, “Can’t we devise a better way?”
Ask the right question, and you might get the right answer.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
EPISODE: RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
At the Texas A&M University Writing Center, one of our slogans is “We answer rhetorical questions.”
Technically, though, we can’t. Oh, we can answer questions about rhetoric, but rhetorical questions are, by definition, questions no one expects to be answered.
They’re really statements, posed as questions, like “What has happened to common decency?” or “Will we stand for this injustice?” The purpose of a rhetorical question is to make a point, usually in a big way. It’s a dramatic gesture.
Technically, not every un-answerable question is a rhetorical question. Some questions are just meant to be nonsensical, or fun, like “Who let the dogs out?” When the speaker or writer asks a question and then answers it, it’s not, strictly speaking, a rhetorical question, either. For example, a speaker might ask, “How did we get into this mess?” and then give an analysis of what went wrong. That’s more of a dialogue, with the question being used as a transition, to show the reader what’s coming next.
Rhetorical questions, on the other hand, are distinguished by their function. They can invite agreement, stir up emotion, or increase audience engagement. They also contribute to rhythm. Writers and speakers create rhythm in part by varying sentence lengths and types: adding questions is one way to achieve that.
Rhetorical questions should be used sparingly, though. You can, however, use a string of them, and speakers often do, to create a rhetorical flourish. Shylock, in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, gives a speech including a string of rhetorical questions:
“If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”
A memorable use of a two rhetorical questions in succession can be found in Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, when he asked, “Can we forge against these enemies a grand and noble alliance -- North and South, East and West—that can ensure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?”
Finally, use the rhetorical question to get your audience to join you, not to antagonize or bait them.
So leave out “How can we be so idiotic?” and stick with something more like, “Can’t we devise a better way?”
Ask the right question, and you might get the right answer.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]