Question

What does the speaker mean by the phrase “obscured by eloquence” in paragraph 3

Answer 1

This is a very good example of anaphora that is used in highly emotional passages for its emphatic and unifying characteristics. In this example we have Senator Margaret Chase, addressing Congress to speak against McCarthyism in 1950: " I speak as briefly as possible because too much harm has already been done with irresponsible words of bitterness and selfish political opportunism. I speak as simply as possible because the issue is too great to be obscured by eloquence. I speak simply and briefly in the hope that my words will be taken to heart." A person who is eloquent is paying more attention to the way they are speaking rather than the content itself. Here, an urgent matter can not wait for politeness. Usually polititians who want to hide something or distract the audience speak more eloquently even using verse sometimes. The point is that some issues are so grave and urgent that eloquence is not neccessarty when talking about them.