Editing Rhetorical question (section)

===Negative assertions===
A rhetorical question may be intended as a challenge. The question is often difficult or impossible to answer. In the example, "What have the Romans ever done for us?" (''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]'') the question functions as a negative assertion. It is intended to mean "The Romans have never done anything for us!" When [[Shakespeare's]] [[Mark Antony]] exclaims, "Here was a Caesar! When comes such another?" it functions as an assertion that Caesar possesses such rare qualities they may never be seen again. (''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'', Act 3, scene 2, 257)

Rhetorical questions are often used as a [[metaphor]] for a question already asked. Examples may be found in the song "[[Maria (Rodgers and Hammerstein song)|Maria]]" from the 1959 [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]] musical, ''[[The Sound of Music]]'', in which "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" is repeatedly answered with other questions: "How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?", "How do you keep a wave upon the sand?" and "How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?" These responses assert that a problem like Maria cannot be solved.