Political debates often appear to be very heated and overly emotional, yet careful calculations typically lie behind the statements made by all participants to represent their points clearly and accurately. Thus, the sue of rhetorical devices that allow appealing to audiences’ emotions are frequently included in political debates. In the 2019 conversation between Biden, Harris, and Booker, the active use of idiom as a rhetorical device reinforced the arguments made by Booker, whereas Biden’s use of metaphor made him lose his points significantly.
The content of domestic violence, in which the argument was being made, set the tone for the discussion as very serious. As a result, Biden’s attempts at using metaphors, which would have been appropriate in other settings, aggravated his position (MSNBC, 2019). Specifically, the metaphor of “punching it,” while clearly referring to the crime of domestic abuse, was worded very poorly and failed to serve as a proper rhetorical device. As a result, the effects that Biden’s metaphor produced on the audience varied from irony to disdain.
In turn, Booker’s use of idiom, namely, his joke about Biden possibly being “high,” meaning under the influence of substances, when discussing the decriminalization of marijuana, while being crude, served its purpose. It created a humorous situation, releasing the tension and making the audience laugh. Concerning the intention of the specified rhetorical device, suggesting that Booker used it to gain the audience’s attention while showing the lack of credibility in his opponent seems to be the obvious goal. By using the idiom at the correct moment, he succeeded in this goal (MSNBC, 2019). Overall, the discussion can be regarded as a peculiar example of how rhetorical devices need to serve a clear function in discourse and be used appropriately.
References
MSNBC. 2019. “Joe Biden Stumbles On Hot Button Issues – Women And Race | MSNBC.” YouTube video. Web.