Much of my time as a speechwriter is spent helping leaders open up and talk about what matters most to them, no matter how personal/painful, because when they do, their words have such power. Amazing article by Meghan Markle which will speak to so many. nytimes.com/2020/11/25/opi…
It’s striking how many rhetorical devices are used in this article. These give an extra sense that you are hearing Meghan’s voice...
She opens with breathless sentences, an ancient rhetorical device known as asyndeton, creating a sense of urgency...
‘Make breakfast. Feed the dogs. Take vitamins. Find that missing sock. Pick up the rogue crayon that rolled under the table. Throw my hair in a ponytail...’
‘Make breakfast. Feed the dogs. Take vitamins. Find that missing sock. Pick up the rogue crayon that rolled under the table. Throw my hair in a ponytail...’
She bundles together rhetorical contrasts in groups of three, a device which often features at the beginning of Presidential addresses
‘Peaceful protests become violent. Health rapidly shifts to sickness. In places where there was once community, there is now division.’
‘Peaceful protests become violent. Health rapidly shifts to sickness. In places where there was once community, there is now division.’
It was also a rhetorical contrast that made the most heartbreaking and memorable line from the article
‘I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.’
‘I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.’
She also uses rhetorical repetition
‘We are at odds over whether science is real. We are at odds over whether an election has been won or lost. We are at odds over the value of compromise.’
‘We are at odds over whether science is real. We are at odds over whether an election has been won or lost. We are at odds over the value of compromise.’
And again
‘What if no one stopped? What if no one saw her suffering? What if no one helped?’
Rhetorical repetition in groups of three like this is very common in speeches (see my TEDx talk), quite unusual in articles.
‘What if no one stopped? What if no one saw her suffering? What if no one helped?’
Rhetorical repetition in groups of three like this is very common in speeches (see my TEDx talk), quite unusual in articles.
She also has a nice metaphor about opening the door and taking steps toward...
‘Some have bravely shared their stories; they have opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same.’
‘Some have bravely shared their stories; they have opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same.’
Meghan is a brilliant communicator. She knows how to speak like a leader. If you want to understand more about the techniques she is using, check out my ‘Speak Like A Leader’ TEDx talk.
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