Rhetorical Devices AP11

Cacophony

- A cacophony in literature refers to the use of words and phrases that imply strong, harsh sounds within the phrase. These words have jarring and dissonant sounds that create a disturbing, objectionable atmosphere. - Example: "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" -harsh and loud sounds in invented words like "brillig," "gimble," "borogoves," and "Jugjub"!

Simile

- A figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things using the words "or" or "as", it is a direct comparison - Example: "I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high over vales and hills." - the Daffodils, William Wordsworth

Interior Monologue

- A narrative technique shows the thoughts in a character's head that other characters are unaware of - Ex. He gives a grave nod of acknowledgment. Hell, Luisa thinks, he looks like he's been given a week to live.

Antithesis

- A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else ; a contrast or opposition between two things. - Example: We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." - Martin Luther King, Jr. -Speech at St. Louis, March 22, 1964

Non Sequitur

- A statement or conclusion that does not logically follow from previous statements - Ex. I read about a pitbull attack. My neighbor owns a pitbull. My life is in danger.

Logic

- A statement, sentence or argument used to convince a target that by employing logic (aka logos) - Ex. "All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal." (The Art of Rhetoric, Aristotle)

Satire

- A work with a point that highlights a critique of an element of life or the human condition (ex. Politics, government) and often has a humorous effect - Usually uses sarcasm and irony - Has 3 layers: Serious on the surface, humorous with the realization that it's a satire and not really serious, and serious when you realize the deeper point of the work

Emotional Appeal

- An emotional appeal is meant to appeal the emotions of the audience by using emotion as the basis of an argument's position without factual evidence that logically supports the major ideas endorsed by the presenter. - Example: This picture appeals to the emotion of the audience by depicting children with a soldier. This picture could be used to raise funding for charities involving soldiers' families.

Connotation

- Implied meaning of a word, positive or negative connotations can depend upon the social, cultural and personal experiences of individuals - Example: Wall Street implies wealth and power, childish has negative connotation, youthful has a positive connotation.

Allusion

- Indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of a historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. - Example: "Sweets are her Achilles heel."

Cumulative Sentence

- Starts with a simple main idea in an independent clause and elaborates on it in subsequent phrases/clauses - Example: He dipped his hands in the bichloride solution and shook them--a quick shake, fingers down, like the fingers of a pianist above the keys.

Hyperbole

- The author uses specific words that exaggerate to produce a more noticeable - Used to overly stress a specific point - Ex. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse

Rhetorical Modes

- The basic types of academic writing ex./ Narration, Description, Example, Definition, Process Analysis, Division/Classification, Comparison/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Problem/Solution

Stream of Consciousness

- The flow of thoughts in a character's mind - Usually long sentences, thoughts blend together with a lack of punctuation

Voice

- The individual style that an author writes his or her works - This includes literary devices and style and includes elements such as syntax, diction, dialogue, character development, tone, pacing, and even punctuation

Asyndeton

- The omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence. - Example: "... that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."— Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 19 November 1863)

Pathos

- The quality of stirring up emotions like pity, sympathy, and sorrow - If something uses pathos, it evokes an emotional response - Ex./ Romeo and Juliet "Then she is well, and nothing can be ill. Her body sleeps in Capels' monument, And her immortal part with angels lives. I saw her laid low in her kindred's vault." - The reader feels pity for Juliet

Mood

- The stance the author adopts by creating a specific emotional perspective toward a subject of work - Ex. In Romeo and Juliet, the readers feel the love between the two people and feel the pain when their love doesn't work out

Tricolon

- consists of three parallel clauses, phrases, or words, which happen to come in quick succession without any interruption. - Example: "You are talking to a man who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe." - L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz

consonance

- refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes place in quick succession. - Example: "pitter, patter." - Example: She ate seven sandwiches on a sunny Sunday last year.

Syntax

- refers to the actual way in which words and sentences are placed together in writing. - Example: "Even in the helter-skelter skirmish that is my life, I have seen that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more of less." Zora Neale Hurston, How it Feels to be Colored Me

Syllogism

- starts an argument with a reference to something general, and from this it draws a conclusion about something more specific. - 1. a major statement or premise 2. a minor statement or premise 3. a conclusion that is deduced - Example: - "All love is wonder; if we justly do Account her wonderful, why not lovely too?" - John Donne, "The Anagram"

Protagonist

- the central/leading character in a story - "The hero" Ex./ The protagonist in Their Eyes Were Watching God is Janie

Induction

-A method of reasoning that uses specific instances to draw a general conclusion (also known as inductive reasoning) -Ex: Jane's favorite color is pink. Jane is a girl. Therefore, all girls love the color pink.

exposition

-A narrative device often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances.

Freight- Train sentence

-A sentence that is quite long and is used to express a character's train of thought, sets a scene or even organizes ideas from a jumbled confusion into a whole. The sentence consists of three or more independent clauses joined by conjunctions.

Syntactic Fluency

-Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length. -adds dimension to text

Analogy

-Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike -Types: Similes, Metaphors, Allegory, Parable, Exemplification Examples: ➢ As happy as a clam ➢ Sly like a fox ➢ You're as sweet as sugar ➢ That would be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack

Hubris

-Excessive pride and arrogance expressed by a character which eventually leads to his or her downfall -Ex: King Oedipus' hubris causes him to attempt to defy the gods in the tragedy Oedipus Rex. His hubris causes him to travel to Thebes, where he encounters and kills an old man. After arriving in Thebes, he marries the queen.

Figures of Speech

-Includes literary devices such as alliteration, puns, hyperboles, metaphors, irony, personification, etc. It can be used to persuade an audience during an argument. - Example: "Join the American Union or Die"

Abstract

-Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images - ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places - The observable or "physical" is usually described in concrete language. - Example: Love, freedom

Metonymy

-Substituting in a name of an attribute for what the object is meant for -Ex: Referring to the King as the Crown or as the boss as suit

Tone

-The writer's attitude towards the subject matter addressed in the text - Shown through diction, figurative language, and organization - Ex. joyful, serious, humorous, sad, threatening, formal, informal, pessimistic, and optimistic

Style

-The writer's choices of diction, syntax, and tone - Can be intentional or unintentional, natural or forced - 4 distinct main areas of style: expository (explain), descriptive, persuasive, and narrative

Irony

-When an expression of one's meaning signifies the opposite, often for humorous and empathetic -Ex: In the story The Gift of the Magi, the husband buys his wife beautiful combs for her hair by selling his watch, while the wife buys him a gold chain for his watch by selling all of her hair.

Objective Point of View

-When the writer tells the story but without saying anything else about the character's emotions and thoughts, only presenting the facts

Anecdote

-a short and interesting story or an amusing event often proposed to support or demonstrate some point and make readers and listeners laugh

Allegory

-a story where the characters and events stand for something else; a story with a double meaning -Example: The Tortoise and the Hare (slow and steady wins the race)

Description

-a text that explains the features of something. It uses language that helps the readers or listeners to form images in their minds about the thing being described. Ex. The sunset filled the entire sky with the deep color of rubies, setting the clouds ablaze.

Aphorism

-brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth. Examples: - A bad penny always turns up. - A barking dog never bites. - A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Euphony

-gives pleasing and soothing effects to the ear due to repeated vowels and smooth consonants -Used to create a melody Ex. "To Autumn" By John Keats: 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run'

Example

-shows specific events of your main idea. Using them helps your audience understand the specifics of your main point. - Example (of an example): - The girl was mean to her friend. For example, she threw a pie into her face.

Diction

-style of speaking or writing, determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer - Example: "Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore." - establish class and race

Lyrical

A collection of verses that makes up a song or a short, non-narrative poem. It expresses the personal emotions or thoughts of a single person. They usually have a rhythm and musical quality that makes them easy to put to music.

False Analogy

A false analogy is a comparison is made between two ideas or objects that seemingly have similar characteristics, but the comparison does not hold up. The characteristics of the two things actually differ in the area that is being compared. Ex. Medical Student: "No one objects to a physician looking up a difficult case in medical books. Why, then, shouldn't students taking a difficult test be permitted to use their textbooks?"

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. It can also mean a specific part representing a whole, or the material of an object being used to identify the object. Example: The United States won gold (meaning the United States olympic team). Example: Some people say coke when they're talking about all soda.

Deduction

A form of reasoning that begins with a generalization then applies the generalization to a specific case or cases. Opposite to induction. Example: Since all humans are mortal, and I am a human, then I am mortal.

Generalization

A generalization is defined as a broad statement or an idea that is applied to a group of people or things. These are usually untrue and are similar to stereotypes. Ex. All blondes are dumb.

Moral

A lesson learned from a story, poem, occasion. Ex: The lesson that is learned from the story, The Tortoise and The Hair, is that not everything should be attempted fast and carelessly, but slow and steady.

Sarcasm

A literary and rhetorical device that is meant to mock, often with satirical or ironic remarks, with a purpose to amuse and hurt someone, or some section of society, simultaneously. Ex. "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." (Mark Twain)

Red herring

A red herring is something irrelevant in a story that is used to distract readers from more important information. Red herrings are used to create suspense occasionally. -Asking your parents for bed time story when they tell you to go to bed to avoid going to bed.

Parable

A short story, primarily using human characters, with the intention of teaching a moral lesson. Example: "The Boy Who Cried Wolf": If you keep lying people will eventually stop believing you, even if you tell the truth. "Good Samaritan": You should be kind to everyone despite your differences.

Paradox

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly, but which may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. A paradox is often used to make a reader think over an idea in innovative way. Ex. I am nobody. Truth is honey, which is bitter.

Motif

A symbol or element that reoccurs in a text and has a figurative meaning/symbolic significance. A motif can help establish a theme or a mood of the text. Example: Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech

Image

A visual depiction of something. Ex: taking a picture of your friends. Thinking of the beach. Looking at a picture of a puppy.

Ethical Appeal

A way of appealing to an audience by showing one's credibility. This is one of the three modes of persuasion in rhetoric. Example: Dressing up as a professional in the advertisement is a way of creating trust among the viewers about the quality of a product.

Invective

A way of speaking/writing that attacks or insults a topic or person.

Straw Man

Also called the "straw man Fallacy" An intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent's real argument. Ex. Ben Shapiro: People don't deserve cheesecake Person: Ben Shapiro says that as humans, we don't deserve the basic right to a food source.

Objectivity

An author presents a series of events without putting in any personal opinions or influences. This style of writing only reveals the hard facts of a story. Examples: Hard news journalist attempt to remain objective in their articles and not reveal their stance on certain issues. In 2015 the New England Patriots were under suspicion of purposely deflating their footballs to win the playoff game against the Colts. This is an example of a description of an event without any opinions.

Logical Fallacy

An error in reasoning that makes an argument invalid. Common ones: ad hominem (attacking the person making the argument instead of the actual argument), straw man (arguing against an oversimplified or otherwise distorted version of the opponent's argument), and slippery slope (claiming that a single event will inevitably give rise to a chain of future events). Ex: Opposing a senator's proposal to extend government-funded health care to poor minority children because the senator is a Democrat.

Stereotype

Assuming general characteristics or oversimplified ideas of a group. Examples: "Old people don't know how to use technology" "She can't drive. She is a woman"

Caricature

Definition: A comedic drawing that exaggerates physical features, which helps give the drawing a humorous feel.

Inference

Definition: A rhetorical device where logical deductions are made based on premises assumed to be true Example: When you wake up, see sunlight, and assume that it is morning.

Balanced Sentence

Definition: A sentence made up of 2 parts not only equal in length, but also grammatical structure and meaning Example: Abraham Lincoln saying "government of the people, by the people, for the people."

Parody

Definition: An imitation of the style or a particular writer, artist, or genre with exaggeration for comic effect.

Conundrum

Definition: Conundrums are questions that rely on punning for creating effects in a question Example: What can be swallowed, or can swallow a person? Pride.

Syntactic Permutation

Definition: Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved Example: Falling, Sue, the smartest girl in her school, Brook H.S, didn't try to catch herself; catching yourself when you fall can result in breaking your arms or wrists.

Subjectivity

Definition: Someone's judgment is shaped by personal opinions and feelings instead of outside influences. Example: Saying you like a certain type of music.

Rhetoric

Definition: The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques Example: Mark Antony's funeral speech is an example of rhetoric.

Setting

Definition: The time and place in which a story takes place.

Apostrophe

Definition: When a speaker speaks directly to someone who is not present or is dead, or speaks to an inanimate object Example: When Juliet speaks to the moon in Romeo and Juliet.

Transition

Definition: Words and phrases that provide a connection between ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. Example: Words such as: after, similarly, although, specifically, for example etc.

Explication

Definition: a close analysis of an excerpt or text taken from a lengthy piece of work

First Person POV

Definition: a narrative being told from the speakers point of view. involves the use of either of the two pronouns "I" or "we." Example: "I felt like I was getting drowned with shame and disgrace."

Epigraph

Definition: a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional context Example: John 12:24 says "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit."

Thesis

Definition: a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. In context: usually appears at the middle or end of the introductory paragraph of a paper, and it offers a concise summary of the main point or claim of the essay, research paper, etc. It is usually expressed in one sentence, and the statement may be reiterated elsewhere

Foreshadowing

Definition: a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story Example: The evening was still. Suddenly, a cool breeze started blowing and made a windy night. (Foreshadows thunderstorm)

Negative-Positive sentence

Definition: emphasizing an idea by stating it twice, first in a negative connotation, then in a positive connotation. Example: "My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." -John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address

Didactic

Definition: intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive Example: Our professor gave a didactic lesson teaching us about government.

Humor

Definition: makes audiences laugh, or that intends to induce amusement or laughter. Its purpose is to break the monotony, boredom, and tedium, and make the audience's nerves relax

Ad Hominem

Definition: marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made Example: A politician degrading another politician during a political campaign when asked about a specific policy - "Well, I think we need to look at the other candidate's failures regarding this topic.

Mode

Definition: the basic types of academic writing Example: The title crawl in Star Wars is exposition, which is a rhetorical mode.

Oxymoron

Definition: the combination of contradictory terms that makes sense in context. Example: Good morning

Juxtaposition

Definition: the placement of two characters or ideas parallel to each other in order to contrast them. Example: In A Devil in the White City, Burnham's beautiful creation of the World's Fair is juxtaposed with Holmes' evil acts.

Jargon

Definition: the use of specific phrases and words in a particular situation, profession, or trade. Example: The terms of service on your phone is full of legal jargon.

Dissonance

Dissonance is a deliberate use of inharmonious words, phrases, or syllables intended to create harsh sounding effects. It is usually employed to suggest anger or discord, or for deliberate dramatic effect. Ex. John Updike's Player Piano: "never my numb plunker fumbles" - This is discordant and difficult to pronounce.

Euphemism

Euphemisms are polite, mild phrases that substitute unpleasant ways of saying something sad or uncomfortable. Ex. "We have to let you go, Tyler" To let someone go is to fire someone, but it sounds much nicer than the actual truth.

Annotation

Explanatory notes or comments, the act of adding notes.

Periodic sentence

Having the main clause at the end of the sentence, used for emphasis and can create suspense for the reader. Ex: By the smell of fireworks and barbeque in the sky, I knew it was Independence Day.

Understatement

It is used by writers to make a situation appear smaller or less important than what the situation really is. Examples. "It's a bit chilly today" -- Describing a temperature that is below freezing. "I practically failed the test" -- Said by a student who received a 98 on their test.

Concrete language

Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities. Ex. Vague: That movie was awesome. Concrete: The actors in The Great Gatsby gave believable performances, and the costumes were exquisitely made and historically accurate.

Persuasion

Literary technique that writers use to present their ideas through reason and logic, in order to influence the audience. Persuasion has three basic types: pathos, ethos, and logos. Ex. A vacation to Florida is an experience you will never forget, offering sun, fun and beautiful beaches. Book your trip today.

Personification

Nonhuman or inanimate objects are given human characteristics and are portrayed to have the abilities of human beings. Examples: "Justice is blind." "The city never sleeps."

Archaic words

Older or obsolete words/forms of words.

Omniscient POV (All-Knowing)

Point of view where the narrator knows every thought and feeling of every person involved in the story. Examples: The Devil in The White City The Namesake

Reductio ad absurdum

Reductio ad absurdum is a type of argument that disproves a statement by claiming its outcome is absurd or impractical. -If the earth was flat, people would fall off the Earth

Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical Questions are normally asked when no answer is expected. It is usually utilized to emphasize on a point being discussed. "Do you think money grows on trees?"

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent. Ex. The buzzing bee flew away. The sack fell into the river with a splash. The books fell on the table with a loud thump.

Theme

The meaning or main idea of a literary work that can be stated indirectly or directly. Examples. Love and Hate: Romeo and Juliet Revenge: The Count of Monte Cristo

Limited Omniscient POV

The point of view in which the narrator describes the thoughts and feelings of one character while presenting only the actions of other characters. Example: Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. Readers can understand Harry's thoughts and feelings, but not any of the other characters'.

Narration

The process of recounting a sequence of events, real or imaginary

Unity

The quality of oneness in a paragraph or essay that results when all the words and sentences contribute to a single effect or main idea. Also called wholeness.

Repetition

The repeating of the same words or phrases a few times to emphasis or make something more memorable. Ex: My mother said, "work, work, and work" are the keys to success.

Assonance

The repetition of a vowel sound in a series of words close to each other. Ex. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done"

Alliteration

The repetition of the same letter or sound beginning several words in a sequence.

Iversion

The reversal of the normal order of words in a sentence or phrase. It can include the placing of an adjective after the noun it modifies, a verb before its subject, or a noun preceding its proposition. It is most often used in poetry and is also known as anastrophe. "calm you shall keep, carry on you must"

Regionalism

The theory or practice of emphasizing the regional characteristics of locale or setting, as by stressing local speech. Ex. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, on page 4, Janie's friend, Pheoby Watson, says to Janie, "Gal, you sho looks good. You looks like youse yo' own daughter."

parallelism

The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically similar or the same in meaning, sound, or construction, also repetition is commonly used. Ex: Easy come, easy go. Like father, like son. Flying is fast, comfortable, and safe

Imagery

The use of figurative language to describe ideas, objects, or actions to appeal to the senses and create an image in the reader's mind. Authors use imagery so that the reader has a deeper understanding of their work. Example: The sunset was the most gorgeous they'd ever seen; the clouds were edged with pink and gold.

Symbolism

Using objects or actions to represent qualities and ideas. It is often used in literature to enhance writing and allow it to have a deeper meaning. Ex. Dove- symbolizes peace Rose- symbolizes love or romance

Oversimplification

When many causes or factors are all grouped into one specific cause or assuming one contribution is a sole cause of something. Ex. People who pass tests are lucky.

Dramatic irony

a useful plot device for creating situations in which the audience knows more about the situations, the causes of conflicts, and their resolutions before the leading characters or actors Ex. In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is only asleep-not dead-but Romeo does not, and he kills himself.

Genre

means a type of art, literature, or music characterized by a specific form, content, and style literature has four main genres: poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction. Ex. Julius Caesar is a tragedy

Denotation

the literal or dictionary meaning of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.

Figurative Language

uses figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, and impactful. Figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, and allusions go beyond the literal meanings of the words to give readers new insights. Ex. similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration, hyperbole

Discourse

verbal expression or exchange; conversation, Any written or spoken communication or the expression of thought through language.

Pacing

‐ How fast, or slow, a story unfolds ‐ An author can use action, cliffhangers, dialogue, to control the pacing ‐ ex./ Devil in the White City The author does not use pacing well in the architecture parts of the story, and the plot drags on, while in Holmes' story there are cliffhangers and suspense that keep the plot interesting.

Colloquialism

‐ is the use of informal words, phrases, or slang in a piece of writing ‐ Gives us insights into the writer's society Examples: ‐ Y'all (you all) ‐ Wanna (want to) ‐ To be blue (sad)

Argumentation

‐ the action or process of reasoning systematically in support of an idea, action, or theory. ‐ Example: President presents an argument for why Congress should approve military action, laying out reasons and evidence to support such a move

Chiasmus

‐ words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form ‐ Example: Are you nice because you like me? Or do you like me because you are nice?