Rhetorical questions: Why do they confuse us?

I'll be honest. When I first got to know about rhetorical questions, I was bowled over by:

1. The way rhetorical was pronounced (think.. ri·taw·ri·kl)
2. The fact that they were unlike any other questions I had heard or asked. They were something different, something fresh.

So what are they exactly?

A rhetorical question is asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.

?

I could just breathe out an exasperated sigh and say "why should I put up with you?", adding more drama and style to my response as compared to the plain old "I can't put up with you." Or express my delight at my food by saying "Is there anything in the world more divine than this chocolate cake?" I don’t have to say the same old.. "This chocolate cake is divine".

But why do they confuse us?

While they tickle my fancy, it's also true that I have attempted to answer questions like?"You are not serious, are you?" directed at me. Rhetorical questions confuse us because they are mostly structured like questions. It doesn’t help that they have a question mark at the end.

..but there's hope.

Rhetorical questions hint towards the speaker's intention. They are soft on interrogation. I'll explain. Look at this interrogative sentence:

Didn't I ask you to read the book?

Ask yourself.. Does this question as an interrogative make any real sense? Would you frame it this way if you really wanted to know the answer?

This question here is hinting towards the fact that 'I asked you to read the book but you didn't read it'. Once you start dipping your feet into rhetorical questions, you start developing a spidey-sense about them. You just know.

Fun fact: The Rhetorical Question Mark

"In the 1580s, to recognize that the rhetorical question was not a normal question, an English printer called Henry Denham invented the "rhetorical-question mark," which was a reversed question mark (i.e., a vertically relected one). For a few decades, it seemed like the rhetorical-question mark might catch on. It didn't." (Excerpt from source*)

Why should we use rhetorical questions in our speech?

Rhetorical questions can be used as an effective communication tool. These questions provide you with a way of engaging your audience, emphasizing a point and adding a certain flair to your speech.

?You can use rhetorical questions like:

Can birds fly? to answer a question which has a glaringly obvious answer.

'What is life?' to introduce a topic

You could add a lot more drama, intensity?& technique into your speech with this amazing rhetoric device. Share your thoughts & let me know how you use these questions.?Keep having fun with your communication and keep learning.

* https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/rhetorical_questions.htm