Found rhetoric: syllepsis

Rhetorical figure permeates every aspect of language use, a phenomenon that not only points to our language's roots in an oral tradition (as we discussed in class) but also validates Hugo's argument that "once language exists only to convey information, it is dying."

Take, for example Ruth Fremson's NYT photo from 10 February 2009 (below).


A simple enough image, the President standing behind a canvas podium that reads "Making America Work," but what is striking is that in just three words, the event organizers advanced a much more complex argument, one that could be expanded a number of ways; still

"It is the responsibility of the country's elected and business leaders to protect opportunities for American workers (ostensibly through the proposed stimulus package), and it is the fortitude and productivity of America's workforce that is responsible for the nation's success"

doesn't fit nearly as well on a sign. Not the most economical use of language. . . nor does it hold the same appeal.

Enter syllepsis: recall that syllepsis is the rhetorical trope we discussed in class in which one word is used to modify, frame, or govern two or more other words. In this example, "work" is the word used in two different senses to frame "Making America" two different ways; it recasts the not only the meaning but also the grammatical construction and turns what could be a 40-word claim into a three-word, exponentially more effective, argument.

At once practical and beautiful, that, folks, is the power of language.