Question

We watch and we hope as we see positive changes taking place. There are some, I know, in your society who fear that change will bring only disruption and discontinuity, who fear to embrace the hope of the future – sometimes it takes faith. . . .

But change would not mean rejection of the past. Like a tree growing strong through the seasons, rooted in the Earth and drawing life from the sun, so, too, positive change must be rooted in traditional values.

–Address at Moscow State University
Ronald Reagan

What type of rhetorical device does Reagan use in this passage?


What is the effect of the rhetorical device?

Answer 1

Rhetorical device: a simile/extended metaphor — Reagan compares positive change to “a tree growing strong…rooted in the Earth and drawing life from the sun” (“like” signals the simile).

Effect: the natural image makes an abstract idea (social/political change) concrete and vivid, reassuring the audience that change need not destroy the past but will grow from and be sustained by tradition. It evokes stability, continuity, and healthy growth (appealing to emotion/pathos) and thereby strengthens his persuasive appeal against those who fear disruption.