-Proctalepsis is a rhetorical strategy used to anticipate and answer an opponent's objections and permit the argument from advancing further. It is used persuasively and it uses immediate refutation or evidence in order to prove the opposing wrong.
-In the novel Heart Of Darkness by Conrad, the character Marlow uses proctalepsis when he is talking about the Roman knights.
He states, “They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force—nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others. They grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was to be got. It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind—as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness."
He uses the rhetorical strategy to quickly asses that they weren't strong men initially, but that they stole strength from the weakness of others before anyone could claim that the knights were such great people.
-Another example of this rhetorical strategy is in the movie Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig's character refutes to the teen in order to make her stop arguing. She anticipates that this will shock her and stop the argument.
