Disease. This metaphor reflects our fears of illness and our ongoing search for cures. The plague was the great symbolic disease of the past; more recently, cancer is the metaphoric illness that dominates public discourse. ‘ The speaker using such a metaphor usually offers a cure. If the disease his progressed too far, radical surgery may be the answer. On the night before I was assassinated, Dr. King warned that “the nation is sick, trouble is in the land, confusion all around.” Only the commitment of his listeners to political, economic, and spiritual reform, he suggested, might cure that illness.
Similarly, metaphors of war and peace reflect our fascination with war
our yearning for peace. The impulse to build, as when we talk about “constructing” speeches or “laying the foundations” for the future, emphasize our ancient instinct as tool-makers to create and control the conditions of our lives. Family metaphors often express the dream of a close, even loving relationship among people through such images as “the family of human ity.” And spatial metaphors often reflect striving upward and forward toward and the desire to avoid falling or retreating into failure.
Culture types and universal images can help bring listeners together aid set the stage for group action. Be careful not to overdo such language. If you strain to use such words, they will seem artificial. But if you use them appropriately with an abundance of supporting materials, they can make your speech more effective.
Archives...
The work of language is cumulative: That is, to achieve action, we must help listeners see a situation clearly, arouse their feelings about what they see, and bring them together into a group prepared to act. This implies that all the language techniques we have described—from simile to universal images— can contribute to the work of encouraging action. There are, however, certain techniques especially suited to meet this challenge. These resources can help speakers build the kind of ethos that will make them respected advice-givers and leaders in persuasive and ceremonial situations.
In persuasive situations especially, the ethos of the speaker is a central consideration. After all, taking action requires time and trouble and often involves cost and risk. Do we really trust this speaker? Do we respect his judgment? Does she have our good at heart? These questions rise as we hesitate on the threshold of action.
Special techniques that help build the ethos of the speaker and stir listeners to act include alliteration, parallel construction, inversion, and antithesis.
You can create a sense of togetherness by using inclusive pronouns, applying identity words, or evoking universal images.
Inclusive Pronouns. Successful speakers rarely refer to my feelings, my plans, or my cause, but rather our feelings, our plans, our cause. Similarly, they do not say that I will do something or you will do something, but that we will do it together. These inclusive pronouns help unite speakers and listeners. Their importance can be shown best by a negative example. When Ross Perot addressed an NAACP convention during the 1992 presidential campaign, he repeatedly referred to his African American audience as “you people.” These words highlighted separation and alienated many listeners.
