Public Speaking Handbook

Crafting Memorable Word Structures 12.4 249

Quick Check

Word Structures with Cadence

Repetition Repeats a key word or phrase several times for emphasis

Parallelism Uses the same grammatical pattern in several sentences or phrases

Antithesis Uses parallel structures but opposing meanings in two parts of a

sentence

Alliteration Uses the same consonant sound several times in a phrase, clause,

or sentence

Analyzing an Example of Memorable Word

Structure

We would like to illustrate all seven techniques for creating drama and cadence
with one final example.^32 If you ask almost anyone for the most quoted line from
John F. Kennedy’s speeches, that line would probably be this one from his inau­
gural address:

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for

your country.”^33

Besides expressing a noble thought, this line is so quotable because it uses so
many stylistic techniques, including, as shown in Table 12.1, some of the tech­
niques discussed earlier in this chapter.
Although the passage that we have analyzed does not include any figura­
tive images, the speech from which it comes does have some memorable figura­
tive language, most notably metaphors such as “chains of poverty,” “beachhead
of cooperation,” and “jungle of suspicion.”
Kennedy used figurative imagery, drama, and cadence to give his inaugural
address “eye and ear appeal” and make it memorable—not just to those who
heard it initially but also to those of us who hear, read, and study it more than
50 years later.

Using Memorable Word Structures Effectively

Having explored ways to add style and interest to the language of your speech,
we must now consider how best to put those techniques into practice.

use DistinCtive stYListiC DeviCes sParingLY Although we have
affirmed the value of style, do not overdo it. Including too much highly stylized
language can put the focus on your language rather than on your content.