An Analysis of Rhetorical Devices Used by the Main Character of Sense and Sensibility’s Movie Script

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the rhetorical devices used by the main characters’ utterances on Sense and Sensibility’s movie script. It is conducted to analyze the types of rhetorical devices used by the main characters, the implied meaning behind the rhetorical devices, and the reason behind the use of the rhetorical devices. The analysis is based on Harris’ rhetorical devices theory. This study applies qualitative research. Qualitative method is applied in this thesis since the data in the form of text. As the data, the movie script is taken from https://web.uniroma1.it/seai/sites/default/files/dialoghipdf [accesed on October 10, 2016] The result of the study shows that there are thirty one utterances that are uttered by the main characters of Sense and Sensibility. Thirteen utterances are uttered by Elinor and eighteen utterances are uttered by Marianne. The use of rhetorical devices can be classified into eleven categories. Six utterances are classified into understatement, four utterances are methapor, eight utterances are rhetorical question, three utterances are hyperbole/overstatement, one utterance is epanalepsis, two utterances are protacalepsis, one utterance is metonymy, two utterances are anaphora, one utterance is aphopasis, two utterances are analogy, and one utterance is polysyndenton. There are eight types of rhetorical devices uttered by Marianne and there are thirteen types of rhetorical devices uttered by Elinor. In Sense and Sensibility, there are several meanings of the rhetorical devices which can be a reason or purpose behind the use of rhetorical devices in the utterances of the main characters of the movie such as to show disagreement, to share feeling, to persuade someone, to create humor, to avoid face threatening act, to show the happiness, and to show disappointment. Besides, there are also found some politeness strategies which consist of twenty six utterances containing positive politeness, four utterances containing negative politeness, and one utterance containing off-record strategy. The politeness strategies are applied since the characters consider to whom they are talking to. For the main characters, the rhetorical devices make them more sensitive which lead them to the danger condition. Moreover, the rhetorical devices sometimes make the other characters believe in what the main characters said or even make the others irritated.