Экзамен по стилистике Stylistics as a science and style as a main stylistic category

Rhetorical question and litotes
Rhetorical question is actually an affirmative or negative statement in the form of a question, its intonation differs from that of a question and it can always be transformed into a statement if there is no negation in the question, the statement would be negative and vice verse the clash between its form and its meaning is very expressive.
Ex.: Who will be open when there is no sympathy or speak to those, who never can understand?
The use of the interrogative form performs an expressive function since it implies direct appellation to the hearer’s opinion. The speaker never doubts what kind of answer to his question can be expected, and the conclusion is left with the hearer:
A rhetorical question is an essential part of oratory that adds to the emotional connotation of the statement in general.
Litotes is a two-component structure in which two negations are joined to give a positive evaluation, it is a negative construction that caries no negative meaning. Thus "not unkindly" actually means "kindly", though the positive effect is weakened and some lack of the speaker's confidence in his statement is implied. The first component of a litotes is always the negative particle "not", while the second, always negative in semantics, varies in form from a negatively affixed word (as above) to a negative phrase. Litotes is especially expressive when the semantic centre of the whole structure is stylistically or/and emotionally colored, ex.: "Her face was not unhandsome" (A.Huxley.) "Her face was not unpretty". (K.Kesey)
There are several structural patterns of litotes:
1) a negative particle and an adjective (adverb) with a negative prefix: Ex: He was smiled not unkindly. (=kindly) Andrew did not dislike him. (=liked) “How slippery it is Sam?” – “Not uncommon thing with ice.” (=common)
2) two negative particles. Ex.: But in his turban and long pale tunic he was not without dignity. (=without)
3) a negative particle and a word of negative meaning. Ex.: And even the doctor, shy but no fool, half unconsciously acknowledged the compliment.
4) Sometimes the structure is more free. Ex.: I’m not sure that I do not agree with you. I felt I wouldn’t say “No” to a cup of tea.
Litotes is not as categorical as an affirmative statement and suggests some hesitation or sometimes deliberate understatement; it is synonymously called meiosis.
The function of litotes has much in common with that of understatement - both weaken the effect of the utterance. The uniqueness of litotes lies in its specific "double negative" structure and in its weakening only the positive evaluation. The Russian term "литота" corresponds only to the English "understatement" as it has no structural or semantic limitations.
The stylistic effect of litotes depends mainly on intonation. If we compare two intonation patterns, one which suggests a mere denial (It is not bad as a contrary to It is bad) with the other which suggests the assertion of a positive quality of the object (It is not bad==it is good), the difference will become apparent. The degree to which litotes carries the positive quality in itself can be estimated by analyzing the semantic structure of the word which is negated. Litotes is used in different styles of speech, excluding those which may be called the matter-of-fact styles, like official style and scientific prose. In poetry it is sometimes used to suggest that language fails to adequately convey the poet's feelings and therefore he uses negations to express the inexpressible.