Some Rhetorical Tools in Nwaubani’s ‘I do not come to you by Chance’

Abstract

This paper identifies and describes the prominent linguistic and Rhetorical elements as techniques for persuasion in the text ‘I do not come to you by Chance’ and also relates such techniques to its thematic issues. Thirty (30) relevant linguistic items (metaphors, proverbs and rhetorical questions) are selected and examined in the course of the analysis. Anchoring on the Systemic Functional Linguistics, the paper observes that linguistic techniques such as metaphors, proverbs and rhetorical questions are preponderant in the discourse for the purpose of influencing and controlling the thoughts and actions of the other participant(s) in the discourse. In order to explore the properties of language employed coupled with the fact that the study is text-bound, text description method is adopted. From the analysis, it is evident that language use in persuasion is usually laced with rhetoric. Having noted that metaphor, proverb and rhetorical question are effective relevant tools in rhetoric and the exercise of ideological manipulation, this study demonstrates that rhetorical tools are strategic to the language of persuasion. It further establishes that speakers employ these tools differently at different contexts.