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Question figure

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 device using a question not for inquiry but for dramatic, persuasive, or emphatic effect, often implying its own answer.

Detailed Definition
A rhetorical question employed for effect rather than to elicit information, creating emphasis, irony, or dramatic impact. Also called erotema in classical rhetoric, question figures should feel natural to dramatic situation and speaker's voice. Shakespeare's "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" demonstrates how question figures can introduce themes while creating conversational intimacy with readers.
Example
Example in poetry:
Question figure appears in Shakespeare’s sonnets: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”; Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death— / He kindly stopped for me— / …Or rather—He passed Us—” uses rhetorical questions; modern example: Terrance Hayes’ “American Sonnet”: “What does it mean to be a problem?”; question figure engages reader as co-thinker; it’s common in metaphysical and political poetry; this device avoids assertion for inquiry.
Additional Notes
Rhetorical questions designed for effect rather than information. Should feel natural to the dramatic situation. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" demonstrates effective usage.
Also Known As
Rhetorical question Erotema Question rhetoric Interrogative figure Erotesis
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