Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devices
rhetorical question
a question to which no answer is expected
24. Never shall I forget that night, the first night in the camp, that turned my life into one like night seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
anaphora
There is so much to be done, there is so much that can be done.
anaphora
Hitler will not be able to harm us, even if he wants to . . .
apasiopesis
The presence of my teachers, my friends, my companions...
apasiopesis
You mustn't eat all at once. Tomorrow is another day . . .
apasiopesis
rhetoric
art of using language (figurative language and other techniques) for a specific purpose, usually persuasive
Of course, since I am a Jew profoundly rooted in my people's memory and tradition, my first response is to Jewish fears, Jewish needs, Jewish crises.
asyndeton
There was a little of everything: suitcases, briefcases, bags, knives, dishes, banknotes, papers, faded portraits.
asyndeton
sentence fragment
does not express a complete thought because it is missing a subject or a predicate; used for effect
pathos
emotional appeal; feelings
ethos
ethical appeal; author establishes credibility; sense of right and wrong
asyndeton
lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines
logos
logical appeal; fact, reason, logic
anaphora
repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines
Do I have the right to represent the multitudes who have perished? Do I have the right to accept this great honor on their behalf?
rhetorical question
Faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and even in His creation.
sentence fragment
The inscription: WARNING! DANGER OF DEATH. What irony.
sentence fragment
apasiopesis
sudden breaking off of a thought in the middle of a sentence, as though the speaker were unwilling or unable to continue; often followed by dash (--) or ellipses (. . .)
rhetorical device
use of language that is intended to have an effect on its audience; techniques include personification, simile, metaphor, imagery, symbolism, repetition
