Figurative language, metaphor and message Rhetoric is essentially geared towards the persuasive communication of preferred models of social

events, and thus manages how recipients will understand and especially how they will understand and especially how they will evaluate such events, for instance as a function of the interests of the participants. It is therefore not surprising that rhetorical structures play such an important role in ideological manipulation 5.1 Rhetorical devices in discourse This chapter is about the rhetorical devices that speakers and writers use to construct their messages. Many people use these resources knowingly to enhance (mari) the way they use language. However, we all- even small children- use some rhetorical devices unconsciously in everyday communication. 5.2 Aristotles Rhetoric Aristotles concerns were: 1. To consider rhetoric as an intellectual field worthy of study in its own right, not just as part of a general skill of oratory. He saw it as a branch of philosophy. 2. To see the rhetoric as a part of communication. This meant that he was not only concerned with the productive aspect of rhetoric but also the receptive, which is to way audiences interpret discourse and the extent to which they are persuaded by stylistic devices. Hence, (por consiguiente/ asadar) part of the academic study of rhetoric involves training in the ability to recognize and analyze such devices, and, as a result, not only be able to use them but also be able to see through them. 5.3 Metaphor. Simile: where one entity is said to be like another. Metaphor:a shift, a carrying over of a word from its normal use to a new one. The use of simple metaphors of this kind is normal in all human communication.

Writers may use them to drive the readers attention to other parts of a paper or may be used to make things seem less serious than they really are. All language is imbued (imbuir/ mbiba) with metaphor and almost all new meaning involve metaphor. We use metaphor unselfconsciously because it is integral to the language. Metaphors are used: the writers intention is to attract the readers attention to other parts of the paper. The use of the metaphor can sometimes entail complex grammatical reorganization of the structure of a sentence, often to fit in with a preferred information structure. Personification: a special type of metaphor where something inanimate takes on the characteristic of a human being. Metonymy: a word is used to as a way of referring to something which is normally associated with the entity that it denotes. Questions: 1. Until now we have been told/ taught that a metaphor is the device of the poetic imagination and it is a matter of extraordinary rather than ordinary. After having read this chapter and having seen the implications that a metaphor has, do you still think we should use metaphors for poetic ends?