In public speaking and speech writing, important points need to be phrased in a way that people can hear and remember. The way to do this has been understood since classical times. Let’s look at a highly memorable quote and see how it’s been constructed. Consider this aphorism Early to bed and early to rise Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. –B. Franklin This simple aphorism uses at least six rhetorical techniques that make it memorable. Anaphora: Anaphora is beginning several phrases, clauses, sentences, etc., with the same words. Here the words “early to” are used for anaphora. Metonymy: Metonymy is the substitution of a related or associated thing for another. Frequently this is used to represent an abstract concept with a concrete one. Here the word “bed” is metonymy for sleep, and “rise,” for wake. Tricolon: Tricolon is the rhetorical term for “The Rule of Threes.” The list “Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise” has three items. Since the classical times, threes have been considered satisfying, perhaps because three is the smallest number of things considered “many.” Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in (preferably stressed) syllables. It is a special case of consonance, the repetition of consonant sounds. Here “wealthy” and “wise” alliterate, as do “makes” and “man.” Rhyme: The aphorism uses two rhymes: “rise” and “wise” are end rhymes, and “healthy” and “wealthy” are internal rhymes. Meter: The two lines have the meter: Dactyl, trochee, dactyl, monosyllabic foot Dactyls have three syllables per “foot” in the pattern stressed, unstressed, unstressed. Trochees have two syllables per foot in the pattern stressed, unstressed. A monosyllabic foot is a single stressed syllable. This aphorism is so memorable that we don’t even ask if it is true. Is it? Healthy? Regular habits are said to be healthier than irregular, and it is probably true there is less damage you can do to your body in establishments open early in the morning than those open late at night, although pastries, buttered toast, and greasy sausage and eggs don’t help. Nevertheless, it probably is healthier. Wealthy? You can get a lot of uninterrupted work done in the morning, but you can entertain clients in the evening. It’s unclear which is better for gaining wealth. Wise? The early morning gives more time for reflection on your life, but the evening offers more experiences, more mistakes, and generally more life to reflect upon. Again, it is unclear which wins. All things considered, late to bed has much to recommend it. Would anybody take this saying seriously if it didn’t have the rhetorical flourishes? —- Thomas Christopher maintains a web page, How To Create Witty Sayings, showing some of the most important techniques for creating witty humor.

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