Foreseeing and forestalling objections in various ways. (Nordquist)
Explanation:
This rhetorical device is used in anticipation of an argument. It is where an argument is answered before it is brought forth. This is a little bit risky however because if the subject did not have such an objection than the person using prolepsis looks silly. It is similar to foreshadowing but also on the opposite side of the spectrum. This is because both deal with future but prolepsis makes a conclusion before an actual even happens and blatantly describes the result, whereas foreshadowing give hints of what could happen in the future.
Using prolepsis can be effective during debates because it could dispel an opponent’s argument before he/she is able to bring it forth. A person might want to use prolepsis because it prevents concerns from growing and festering with their target audience. It could prevent interruption and time loss as well as make certain points clear to the audience.
Examples
Example #1
Little Jimmy goes to Little Bobby, hits him and takes his ice cream. The Little Jimmy says to Little Bobby, “And if you tell on me then I’m gonna beat you up.”
àThis is an example of prolepsis because Little Jimmy is anticipating Little Bobby saying I’ll tell on you. He then brings forth his answer to the question without the question actually having been asked
Example #2
See the tiger’s grace how he pounces.
Media Example
Drugs found in Ont. Halloween candy
Canwest News Service
Published: Saturday, November 08, 2008
TORONTO - Police in southern Ontario are warning parents to check their kids' Halloween candy after cold medication was discovered in sealed boxes of Halloween candy.
On Wednesday, a Grade 5 student in Pickering, Ont., opened a box of Smarties collected while trick-or-treating Oct. 31 and found a DayQuil cold medication tablet among the candy, Durham Regional police said.
Since then four more cases have been confirmed, all involving the cold and flu medication in boxes of Smarties.
"The small Halloween-sized Smarties box appears to have been sealed and looked normal," police said in a news release. They urge parents to open and inspect all the candy their children collected on Halloween night.
Children could experience harmful side effects if they were to swallow the adult cold medication, police said.
Nestle, the makers of Smarties, said in a statement that it was co-operating with police.
"At Nestle, safety is our highest priority so we take these matters very seriously," the statement said. "To this end, we are actively working with the police who are leading this investigation."(http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=6d2c8e8d-5938-4f57-9382-c14e851e9632)
The final Statement made by Nestle is an example of prolepsis. This is an example because after saying that they take matters very seriously the question one could ask is “what is nestle doing about it though?” Nestle foresaw the possibility of this question and therefore made the statement “To this end, we are actively working with the police who are leading this investigation.” It foresaw and took necessary measure to insure that they were not questioned in the future.
Bibliography
Nordquist, Richard. "prolepsis- definition and examples of prolepsis." About.com. 8 Nov 2008
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=6d2c8e8d-5938-4f57-9382-c14e851e9632
