Most of the time, when someone asks a question and they are not specific as to who they are talking to, the question automatically becomes a general question. Because it is general, anyone can state their opinion or idea based on their own experiences. However, just because everyone can answer, does that mean that everyone should?
In the New York Times newspaper, there is an article with the title, “U.S. Plan to Replace Principals Hits a Snag: Who Will Step In? (Dillon, 2011) . According to New York Times, this article is about getting rid of principals that work in schools that are failing. The only problem is there are not enough qualified principals to take over for the other principals. So for now, those principal’s jobs are spared.
The title itself is a direct question. The main question is who is it directed to? We all are clearly aware of who and what it is about, but who is going to answer? The New York Times Newspaper is a United States paper. If the newspaper article is about the United States, then who is the question really directed to? After reading a little bit about it, I noticed that this would be a case of discourse because everyone is worried and concerned about principals losing their jobs.
A direct question is made for a direct answer and usually, that happens in that order. IF a question is general, it is still open for an answer. However, I wonder who is still directed to answer it? Those who are more aware of it? Those who are opinionated? Or those who would just like to answer a question? Is a general question limited to who answers it?
Dillon, S. (2011, February 8). U.S. Plan to Replace Principals Hits a Snag: Who Will Step In? New York Times , CLX No. 55,310, pp. A1, A15.
I think the point of asking a rhetorical question is to force people to think about how they themselves would answer the question. If the question was already directed to someone then people would just want to know how that someone answered the question. But since the question is not directed to anyone and us as readers see it, we are put in a place to answer the question ourselves. This is a great way to get people to think. Great public speakers ask rhetorical questions to get people engaged in what they are saying.
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