Quora Answer: What is a Rhetorical Function?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “What is a rhetorical function?” 

A rhetorical function is a process of creating a cogent, coherent argument in academic writing, or for public speaking.  The rhetorical function of the act, the person, or the object refers to the point it makes in reference to the intended argument.  The rhetorical function is part of a wider rhetorical strategy tailored to the intended audience, for a specific intent, in order to maximise the call to action. 

An example of rhetorical function is the choice of words to describe someone, with consideration of its positive or negative connotations to elicit a feeling or opinion from the audience.  For example, you could describe a man as looking sinister, or you could say he looked dark, and the context of choice of further words would shape the audience reaction to him. 

Another example of rhetorical function is the use of the alliterative triad to subtly emphasise a position by reiterating it in subsequent sentences and clauses.  It draws attention to the point, and paints a wider, expansive picture to set the stage for a grand call to action.