Chapter Ten. Wisdom of the Ages

Chapter Nine began a discussion of rhetorical devices and techniques that professional speech writers use to make their speeches more rhythmic, more dramatic, and more memorable. Remember triads and anaphora? You've just read a triad that is also an example of anaphora—more rhythmic, more dramatic, more memorable.

Now I want you to do a little practice exercise. Read the list of techniques below. For each one, think about what the technique is and try to recall, either from the text or from your own experience, at least one example. Then choose a subject that you might like to write a speech about and write a few sentences or paragraphs in which you apply some or all of the techniques to your subject:

• Alliteration

• Antithesis

• Hyperbole

• Understatement

• Dramatic surprise

• Anaphora

• Triad

• Metaphor

• Analogy

• Simile

If you don't feel you're ready for this exercise, continue reading, but please come back to it when you feel you are ready. The practice will serve you well.

In this chapter, you'll learn how to put the wisdom of the ages into your speech. It's really quite simple; you just quote somebody. Quoting is one of the most commonly used and most effective devices to enliven a speech.