Yoda – The Sublime Figure

Michelle Verne
English 436
Professor Wexler
05 Feb 2009

After reading Longinus’s on the sublime, the first rhetorical figure that came to mind was Yoda, the famous character from George Lucas’s Star Wars. Yoda’s rhetoric reflects the true definition of sublimity.

Although Yoda does not appear in Star Wars until Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, his character becomes the most significant part of the whole Star Wars trilogy. He is a wise and powerful Jedi Master and this is notably shown through the powerful emotion in his rhetoric. It could be that some of Lucas’s ideas were inspired by Longinus. In his book “Star Wars: The Annotated Screen plays” Lucas says, “I wanted Yoda to be the traditional kind of character you find in fairy tales and mythology, and that character is usually a frog or a wizened old man on the side of the road” (Kleinow).
The similarities of the description of sublime and Yoda are evident. When Longinus speaks of the five sources of sublimity, the ability to form grand conceptions, stimulus of powerful and inspired emotion, the proper formation of figures of thought and speech, and elevated word arrangement, he is clearly defining the traits of Yoda. (121). When he goes on to define inversion, he states “These consist in the arrangement of words or ideas out of their normal sequence, and they carry, so to speak, the genuine stamp of powerful emotion. (141). If we have seen “Star Wars”, we are all well aware of Yoda’s unique way of speaking and his quotes resonate even with the audience. “So certain are you,” or “Size matters not, look at me, judge me by my size do you” (Lucas). Inversion is the type of rhetoric that makes Yoda such a powerful character and figure.
Also reflected in Yoda’s character is what Longinus refers to as “The Accumulation of Figures.” He states, “A combination of figures in one phrase usually has a very moving effect, when two or three unite in a kind of partnership, to add force, persuasiveness and beauty” (140). This aspect is also shown when Yoda uses the diction “luminous beams are we, not this crude matter” (Lucas). This type of word arrangement not only encourages Luke Skywalker, but also helps to captivate the audience leaving them with equal inspiration.
Many of Longinus’s rhetorical theories on the sublime apply to those that carry that natural greatness in today’s society. Yoda is just one of the many that holds that gift.

Works Cited

Kleinow, Jeff. “George Lucas.” YodaJeff.com. (1997-2004).


Longinus. Classical Literary Criticism. England: Penguin Books. 2000 (p. 113-166)

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Frank Oz and Mark Hamil. 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, 1980.