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