Comparisons and Categories

-In persuasive speeches, authors often use figurative language and/or literary techniques to make connections among and distinctions between various elements of the topic. They may compare and contrast things like individuals, ideas, events, groups, etc.

Connections:

A common technique used to connect ideas to persuade an audience is the use of allusion. Here the author takes a popular cultural figure or topic to help explain the concept he/she is addressing.

Example: In "The Gettysburg Address" Lincoln alludes to the "Declaration of Independence" when he claims how the founding fathers built a country on the premise that all men are created equal (Lincoln, 1863). This helps his argument by connecting the intentions of the founding fathers to his own; it leads the audience to compare the act of slavery to the methods used by the British government to oppress the American colonists. Therefore, allowing states to practice slavery in America would be hypocritical, when compared to the intentions of the founding fathers.

Categories:

Authors will often divide their topics into opposing categories to show how they are different from one another and advance their argument.

Example: In "The Gettysburg Address" Lincoln divides the people into two different groups: the soldiers who fight and the leaders who speak (Lincoln, 1863). This helps his argument by empowering the role of the union soldiers and the cause they fought and died for. It simultaneously makes him appear more humble while calling the people to follow the lead of brave soldiers over the words of men in power asking for compliance. While it differentiates his own self from the soldiers, it cleverly ties their cause to his own.

Analogy:

Authors will often compare their own topics to a different yet familiar topic, in order to better explain their ideas. This is usually portrayed as a simile and often used by giving examples.

Example: Mr. Justis claimed, "Wasting class work-time for assignments is like being given a ten dollar bill for lunch and burning it". This analogy helps his argument by drawing a connection between the act of getting free money for something necessary, like food, with getting the gift of time for something necessary, like school-work. Nearly everyone regards the act of burning money as a needless waste, and by connecting that idea to the act of wasting (or even burning) time, the audience will associate that too as an act of needlessly wasting something precious and valuable.