Rationalism/Age of Reason Vocabulary
Rationalism
A belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response
Aphorism
A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.
Analogy
A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
Enlightenment
A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of accepted ideas and social institutions.
Deism
A popular Enlightenment era belief that there is a God, but that God isn't involved in people's lives.
rhetorical question
A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.
Diction
A writer's or speaker's choice of words
Autobiography
An account of a person's life written by that person
Slave Narrative
An autobiographical account written by a former slave
Anaphora
the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences
parallelism/parallel structure
the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures; used to make the writing more memorable and/or persuasive
Alliteration
Repetition of initial consonant sounds
Pathos
Appeal to emotion
Tone
Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character
Thesis
Focus statement of an essay; premise statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based.
Consonance
Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.
figurative language
Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.
Juxtaposition
Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts
Repetition
Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis
Antimetabole
The repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast.
fallacy
a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument
anecdote
a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person
Logos
an appeal based on logic or reason
Ethos
establishment of the speaker's credibility, trustworthiness, or good character to make an argument more persuasive
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds within words
Rhetoric
the art of using language effectively and persuasively
Antithesis
the direct opposite, or a sharp contrast, sometimes using parallel structure