The “Farewell Address” frequently evokes people and events without mentioning them by name; while a reference is direct, an allusion is indirect. For example, Washington never names the “artful and enterprising minority” that he accuses of trying to sabotage the government (Paragraph 16). He speaks only in vague terms about the war in Europe that loomed large in the politics of the day, and while he repeatedly asks for forgiveness for his “many errors,” he claims not to know what any of them are. These allusions allow Washington to deliver a thoroughly political message and allow his audience to fill in the blanks, while preserving a high-minded tone befitting Washington’s reputation. The allusions’ noncommittal nature also means his words lend themselves to a more generalized application. For example, his famous warning against “permanent alliances” was originally an allusive warning against an alliance with France, but it has gone down in history as a general rule for US foreign policy.

A rhetorical device that frequently appears in formal arguments, syllogism is a form of logical reasoning that links two or more premises to draw a conclusion.