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Hypophora

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A rhetorical strategy where a speaker poses a question and immediately answers it, guiding the audience’s interpretation or emphasis.

Detailed Definition
Anthypophora is a rhetorical device where a speaker poses a question and immediately answers it, often to address anticipated objections or deepen reflection; in poetry, it creates dialogic tension and introspective momentum, as in meditative or dramatic monologues.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hypophora: A rhetorical question followed by an immediate answer: “What is our life? A play of passion.” — Sir Walter Raleigh’s “The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage.”

Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “To be, or not to be—that is the question. / Whether ’tis nobler…” poses then answers; Anthypophora builds argument through self-dialogue; Common in sermons and dramatic monologues for rhetorical force; Modern examples appear in Claudia Rankine’s interrogative poetics; This technique stages internal conflict as public discourse.
Additional Notes
Asking question then immediately answering it yourself. "Why do I write? Because I must." Related: rhetorical question, erotesis. Study: hypophora vs. rhetorical question (expects no answer).

Rhetorical question followed immediately by its answer. Teaching device in didactic verse. Compare with erotema (question left unanswered).
Other Meanings of “Hypophora”
Also Known As
Self-answer Question-response Rhetorical Q&A Anthypophora question-and-answer
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