Rhetorical question to Zeugma (Quiz #5)

Syllogism

A deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first called "major" and the second "minor") that inevitably leads to a sound conclusion. For example: All men are mortal (major premise). Socrates is a man (minor premise). Therefore, Socrates is a man (conclusion). A syllogism's conclusion is valid only if each of the two premises is valid.

Syllepsis

A grammatically correct construction in which one word is placed in the same grammatical relationship to two words but in quite different senses. _______ is synonymous with zeugma (the last word on the list!). Although commentators have historically tried to distinguish between zeugma and syllepsis, the distinctions have been confusing and contradictory. We're better off using zeugma in its broadest sense and not confusing matters by introducing syllepsis, a little-known term the meaning of which even the experts can't agree on. Consider this example from Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried: He carried a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men. This example shows well how syllepsis / zeugma works — the verb "carried" works in two ways here, both literally, with the strobe light, and figuratively / metaphorically with "the responsibility."

Rhetorical question

A question posed by the speaker or writer not to seek an answer but instead to affirm or deny a point simply by asking a question about it.

Zeugma

A trope in which one word, usually a noun or the main verb, governs two other words not related in meaning. For example, "He maintained a business and his innocence." Zeugma is synonymous with syllepsis (an earlier word on the list).

Simile

A type of comparison that uses the word like or as. Consider William Wordsworth's _______ in his poem entitled "Daffodils": "I wandered lonely as a cloud / that floats on high o'er vales and hills."

Transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, transitions effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. A few commonly used transitional words or phrases are furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly, and on the contrary. More sophisticated writers use more subtle means of transition.

Satire

A work that targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions, for reform and ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform human behavior, _______ is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively by the satirist: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. The effects of satire are varied, depending on the writer's goal, but good _______, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition.

Trope

An artful variation from expected modes of expression of thoughts and ideas, a figure of speech involving a "turn" or change of sense—a use of the word in a sense other than its proper or literal one. Common tropes include metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, personification, hyperbole, litotes, oxymoron, etc.

Undertone

An attitude that may lie under the ostensible (apparent) tone of the piece. Under a cheery surface, for example, a work may have threatening undertones. In his poem "The Tyger," Blake has used religious undertones. In his days, religious institutions and individuals held a great influence over people. He has questioned absolute supremacy of God and dabbled into the religious arena through this poem, by employing the image of a tiger. Blake is not afraid to challenge the religious assumptions. In the first two lines, he praises this animal, a work of art, which is strikingly beautiful, "Tyger Tyger, burning bright ..." But the tiger also symbolizes horror. That is in the third and the fourth lines he questions, "What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?" which means what kind of God could design a beautiful yet terrifying and horrible beast, a Tyger.

Unreliable narrator

An untrustworthy or naïve commentator on events and characters in a story. Huck Finn is one of American literature's most famous of this type. Nick Carraway may be another. And the third person narrator in Tim O'Brien's In the Lake of the Woods is also considered an unreliable narrator.

Sarcasm

From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," _______ involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are _______ (or intended to ridicule). When well done, _______ can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it's simply cruel.

Symbol/symbolism

Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete—such as an object, action, character, or scene—that represents something more abstract. However, symbols and symbolism can be much more complex. One system classifies symbols in three categories: 1) Natural symbols are objects and occurrences from nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them (dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning, a rose symbolizing love, a tree symbolizing knowledge). 2) Conventional symbols are those that have been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols, such as a cross or Star of David; national symbols such as a flag or eagle; or group symbols, such as a skull and crossbones for pirates or the scales of justice for lawyers or judges). 3) Literary symbols are sometimes conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are generally recognized. However, a work's symbols may be more complicated as is the whale in Melville's Moby Dick and the jungle in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. On the AP Language Exam, try to determine what abstraction an object or other "thing" is a symbol for and to what extent it is successful in representing that abstraction

Thesis

In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the writer's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. Expository writing is usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively, and thoroughly a writer has proved the thesis.

Wit

In modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. A witty statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically, wit originally meant basic understanding. Its meaning evolved to include speed of understanding, and finally (in the early 17th century), it grew to mean quick perception, including creative fancy and a quick tongue to articulate an answer that demanded the same quick perception.

Slang

Informal language, often considered inappropriate for formal occasions and text. _______ consists of words that are non-standard in a given language and is generally spoken to show inclusion in a certain social group. Social groups can be very small—from just a few friends—to very large, e.g., millions of people who frequent a website. _______ is usually considered informal, and thus is common in speech but not in writing (unless that writing is texting or internet chatting). The usage of slang often implies a certain familiarity between those who use it together, and may show certain attitudes on the part of the speaker. The etymology of the word slang is uncertain. It was first used in the mid-1700s and at that time the definition of slang referred to the specific vocabulary of lower class or disreputable people. As time went on, slang no longer referred to language spoken by disreputable people, but certainly it meant something cruder than formally educated speech. Some theorists have posited that "slang" has the same Scandinavian origin as the word "sling," meaning "to throw around."

Subordinate clause

Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, the subordinate clause depends on a main clause, sometimes called an independent clause, to complete its meaning. Easily recognized key words and phrases usually begin these clauses, such as the following: although, because, unless, if, even though, since, as soon as, while, who, when, where, how, that.

Tone

Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author's tone. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber.

Synecdoche

Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole, or it may use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups, or vice versa. It may also call a thing by the name of the material it is made of, or it may refer to a thing in a container or packaging by the name of that container or packing. Synecdoche examples are often misidentified as metonymy (another literary device). While they resemble one another to some extent, they are not the same. Synecdoche refers to the whole of a thing by the name of any one of its parts. For example, calling a car "wheels" is a synecdoche because a part of the car, its "wheels," stands for the whole car. However, in metonymy, the word used to describe a thing is closely linked to that particular thing, but is not necessarily a part of it. For example, using the word "crown" to refer to power or authority is a metonymy, used to replace the word "king" or "queen."

Semantics

The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relations to one another.

Theme

The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually, theme is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing. Frequently, theme can be stated as a "universal truth." Please do NOT confuse a topic or issue for theme. This is a common mistake, as some may state that the theme is war or peace, love or hate, or some other topic/issue. Your theme statement should include the word "that" so that you can express what the text reveals about war or peace, love or hate, or some other topic/issue.

Synesthesia

The concurrent response of two or more of the senses to the stimulation of one. Generally, the term synesthesia refers to a certain medical condition in which one of the five senses simultaneously stimulates another sense. A person with such a condition may not only see letters of the alphabet, but also associate them with particular scents. This happens when the different parts of the brain that are responsible in identifying color, sound, taste, and smell somehow get interlinked, and thus one sense triggers another sense. Writers employ this device to be creative in communicating their ideas to the readers. It makes their ideas more vivid, and adds more layers of meaning to a text for the readers' pleasure. By blending different senses, writers make their works more interesting and appealing. For example, "blue note" [sight/sound], "loud shirt" [sound/sight], or "how sweet the sound" [taste/sound].

Style

The consideration of _______ has two purposes: 1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. Some authors' _______ are so idiosyncratic that we can quickly recognize works by the author (or a writer emulating that author's _______). Compare, for example, Jonathan Swift to George Orwell or William Faulkner to Ernest Hemingway. We can analyze and describe an author's personal _______ and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. _______ can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, or laconic, to name only a few examples. 2) Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. By means of such classification and comparison, we can see how an author's style reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance or the Victorian period, or a literary movement, such as Romanticism, Gothicism, Transcendentalism, or Realism.

Understatement

The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole and a synonym for litotes.

Syntax

The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as a group of words, while diction refers to individual words. In the multiple choice section, expect to be asked some questions about how an author manipulates syntax. In the essay section, you will need to analyze how syntax produces effects.

Subject Complement

The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clauses that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it. The former is technically a predicate nominative, the latter a predicate adjective. Perhaps you might use this knowledge of grammar on the multiple choice section or on the passage analysis essay.