Pomposity is a rhetorical device where someone acts as or represents someone else who is absent or imaginary. It can provide a different perspective in an artistic way, but must be used carefully. It derives from ancient Greek and is a key component of fiction and theatre. It can also be used in everyday life to communicate what others have said or heard. It is often equated with personification.
A pomposity is a rhetorical device or figure of speech in which someone acts as or represents someone else who is absent or imaginary. The term includes, but is not exclusive to, personification. When a person uses pomposity, he can provide a different perspective in an artistic way, thereby reinforcing arguments or making speech or writing more memorable.
Historically, prosopopea derives from two words in ancient Greek. Prosopon translates to face or person. Poiein means to do or do. So, pomposity literally means making someone else’s face.
An example of this device is in children’s play. For example, if a little girl plays “princess,” she might say, “I’m the most beautiful princess in the world! I will rule the earth with my magical scepter!” The child is not a princess and she has no lands to rule, but she behaves as if she holds that title and that authority. Pomposity is thus a key component of fiction and theatre.
Another way people use pomposity in everyday life is to communicate what others have said or heard. Sometimes people do it in a humorous or mocking way, like if they use a shaky, nasal voice to say, “Huh, what, son? Let me turn on my hearing aid!” imitate an old person. Similarly, a person might say, “You know, my mother always said…” and then try to mimic her mother’s voice and mannerisms with the following words. Saying “If so-and-so were alive…” is also an example of this figure of speech. People also use this technique to create mock debates to make a point, as Abraham Lincoln famously did in his “Cooper Union Speech.”
People also equate pomposity with personification. In fact, a person can use the two terms synonymously even if the pomposity is not exclusive to personification. An example of personification and pomposity is “The stars dance in the sky”. Stars, like inanimate gas balls, cannot dance, but by saying they do, a person can create a very different picture of what a star looks like and how it behaves. This technique is also found in important writings such as the Bible.
While an individual may use this rhetorical device to enhance his speech, writing, or authority, he must be careful not to abuse it. Too much pomposity can make speech and writing appear forced and can mask reality; a person must choose what is appropriate given the context.
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