Rhetorical Devices with examples

Catharsis

A Catharsis is an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress. Catharsis is a Greek word and it means cleansing. In literature it is used for the cleansing of emotions of the characters. It can also be any other radical change that leads to emotional rejuvenation of a person. e.g. When Romeo drinks the poison he thinks Juliet has already taken, the reader achieves catharsis, feeling pity both for the characters and for themselves. In the film Cast Away, there is dramatic catharsis when Tom Hank's character becomes separated from Wilson, the soccer ball who has been his only companion; the viewer not only has pity for the character but also experiences the terror of the situation.

Aphorism

A concise observation which contains a general truth: -"A bad penny always turns up" is an aphorism for the fact that bad people or things are bound to turn up in life. - "Actions speak louder than words." - "The early bird gets the worm."

Fallacy

A fallacy is an erroneous argument dependent upon an unsound or illogical contention. There are many fallacy examples that we can find in everyday conversations. Types of Fallacies Here are a few well-known kinds of fallacies you might experience when making an argument: 1. Appeal to Ignorance Appeal to ignorance happens when one individual utilizes another individual's lack of information on a specific subject as proof that his or her own particular argument is right. e.g. People have been praying to God for years. No one can prove He doesn't exist. Therefore, He exists. 2. Appeal to Authority This sort of error is also known as "Argumentum Verecundia" (argument from modesty). Instead of concentrating on the benefits of an argument, the arguer will attempt to append their argument to an individual of power or authority in an effort to give trustworthiness to their argument. e.g. If it's good enough for Leonardo DiCaprio, it's good enough for me. 3. Appeal to Popular Opinion This sort of appeal is when somebody asserts that a thought or conviction is correct since it is the thing that the general population accept. e.g. "Using a wet cloth on a kid's forehead is perfect for stopping the hiccups" "Lots of individuals purchased this collection, so it must be great." 4. Appeal to Tradition This fallacy suggets that people should continue to do things as they have been done in the past. We shouldn't challenge time-honored customs or traditions. e.g. "Santa comes down the chimney only"

Anastrophe

A form of literary device wherein the order of the noun and the adjective in the sentence are exchanged. In standard parlance and writing the adjective comes before the noun, but when one is employing an anastrophe, the noun is followed by the adjective. This reversed order creates a dramatic impact and lends weight to the description offered by the adjective. Example: Excited the children were when Santa entered the room. Travelling by plane I enjoy Yoda 'Powerful you have become; the dark side I sense in you.'

Circumlocution

A form of writing where the writer uses exaggeratedly long and complex sentences in order to convey a meaning that could have otherwise been conveyed through a shorter, much simpler sentence. -Instead of writing "At 8 pm he arrived by car for the dinner party." the author writes, "Around 3 hours after sunset, it was winter at the time, the man arrived in a combustion engine driven piece of technology with for wheels to join other bipedal creatures in the ingestion of somewhat large quantities of food and drink while having discourse around a large wooden mesa designed for such a purpose".

Analogy

A literary device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas. -"In the same way as one cannot have the rainbow without the rain, one cannot achieve success and riches without hard work." - "She's as blind as a bat." - "Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo." - Don Marquis.

Flashback

A literary device wherein the author depicts the occurrence of specific events to the reader, which have taken place before the present time the narration is following, or events that have happened before the events that are currently unfolding in the story. -Back in the day when Sarah was a young girl... -It all happened one day, on a December 9th...

Hyperbole

A literary device wherein the author uses specific words and phrases that exaggerate and overemphasize the basic crux of the statement in order to produce a grander, more noticeable effect. -"I am so tired I cannot walk another inch" -"I'm so sleepy I might fall asleep standing here".

Symbol

A mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process. Example: The Red Cross

Allegory

A piece of art or literature, like a poem or story, in which people, things or happenings have a hidden or symbolic meaning. -The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is a religious allegory with Aslan as Christ and Edmund as Judas. -Avatar - Pandora Woods represent the Amazon rainforest. -Wall-E - An allegory to save the Earth.

Apostrophe

A rhetorical device in which the writer breaks out of the flow of the writing to directly address a person or personified object. It should not be confused with the punctuation mark of the same name, to which it has no relation. - "Oh, rose, how sweet you smell and how bright you look!" Roses can't hear - "Car, please get me to work today." Cars do not understand. - Before going to bed: "Alarm clock, please don't fail me again."

Adage

A short, pointed and memorable saying based on facts, and is considered a veritable truth by the majority of people. - It's better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. - The early bird gets the early worm. - Things are not always what they seem. - Don't believe in witches, but that they exist, they exist.

Antithesis

A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced. -"It is one small step for a man but one giant leap for mankind". "Many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14.

Ambiguity

A word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning. - "I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your husband in the lecture." - Sarah gave a bath to her dog wearing a pink t-shirt. - Man: Call me a taxi. Woman: You want me to get a taxi for you or tell you're a taxi?

Amplification

Amplification refers to a literary practice wherein the writer embellishes the sentence by adding more information to it in order to increase its worth and understandability. Example: Original sentence- The thesis paper was difficult. After amplification- The thesis paper was difficult: it required extensive research, data collection, sample surveys, interviews and a lot of fieldwork.

EPITHET

An epithet is a literary device that is used as a descriptive device. It is usually used to add to a person or place's regular name and attribute some special quality to the same. Example: Alexander III of Macedon is better known as Alexander the Great Young Skywalker "The Rock" - Dwayne Johnson

Anachronism

Anachronism is derived from a Greek word anachronous which means "against time". Therefore, an anachronism is an error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece. In other words, anything that is out of time and out of place is an anachronism. e.g. Titanic—Leonardo DiCaprio's character refers to fishing in a lake in Wisconsin that was manmade and not created until after five years after the Titanic sank.

Anagram

Anagram is a form of word play in which letters of a word or phrase are rearranged in such a way that a new word or phrase is formed. e.g. silent - listen Mother-in-law = Hitler woman Debit card = Bad credit Dormitory = Dirty Room

Anagram

Anagrams are an extremely popular form of literary device wherein the writer jumbles up parts of the word to create a new word. Example: Debit card - Bad credit Eleven plus two - Twelve plus one The Morse code - Here come dots Suicide note = I used it...once!

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism can be understood to be the act of lending a human quality, emotion or ambition to a non-human object or being. In literature, many ancient tales and fables feature animals or deities as main characters who speak, have feelings, and make complex decisions. Example: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Turtle and the Hare in Aesop's fables. Alice in Wonderland Pinnochio

AUTHORIAL / NARRATIVE INTRUSION

Authorial Intrusion is an interesting literary device wherein the author penning the story, poem or prose steps away from the text and speaks out to the reader. Example: In Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre," Jane Eyre is the first-person narrator, but Brontë often intrudes and speaks to the reader directly, even using the word "reader." For example, Brontë writes: "A new chapter in a novel is something like a new scene in a play; and when I draw up the curtain this time, reader, you must fancy you see a room in the George Inn at Millcote, with such large figured papering on the walls as inns have; such a carpet, such furniture, such ornaments on the mantle-piece..."

Catachresis

Catachresis is a figure of speech in which writers use mixed metaphors in an inappropriate way to create rhetorical effect. Often, it is used intentionally to create a unique expression. Catachresis is also known as an exaggerated comparison between two ideas or objects. e.g. Mow the beard, Shave the grass, He looked at the price and his pockets ran dry.

Characterization

Characterization in literature refers the step by step process wherein an author introduces and then describes a character. The character can be described directly by the author or indirectly through the actions, thoughts, and speech of the character. e.g. Michael Corleone was not jus' a mafiaso, but a family man. A man who walked the knife's edge to preserve his sanity.

Chiasmus

Chiasmus is a figure of speech containing two phrases that are parallel but inverted to each other. Example: You can take the patriot out of the country but you cannot take the country out of the patriot.

Ephiphany

Derived from the Greek word "epiphaneia", epiphany means "appearance" or "manifestation. In literary terms, an epiphany is that moment in the story where a character achieves realization, awareness or a feeling of knowledge after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story. e.g. "I used to smoke a lot. Everyone let me know that it was bad for my health however, I didn't pay any notice. One day I saw my two years of age offspring trying for a used cigarette within an ashtray. Seeing this, abruptly it dawned upon me how terrible smoking was and I stopped smoking."

Doppelganger

Doppelganger is a term derived from the German language and literally translates into 'double walker'. It refers to a character in the story that is actually a counterfeit or a copy of a genuine character. Doppelgangers of the main characters usually bear the ability to impersonate the original but have vastly different spirits and intentions. Example: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Hulk Dorian Gray: the portrait functions as Dorian's doppelganger - revealing the decay of Dorian's soul as his appearance remains beautiful and young. It acts as a "window to the true Dorian

Litotes

Figures of rhetoric speech that use an understated statement of an affirmative by using a negative description. -"not the brightest bulb" -"not a beauty" -"not bad" -"not unfamiliar"

Irony

In literature, it refers to playing around with words such that the meaning implied by a sentence or word is actually different from the literal meaning. - I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is. - Robin Hood's friend (6.5 feet tall and muscled) is Little John. - To literary died of thirst in the middle of the ocean.

Satire

In literature, it refers to the practice of making fun of a human weakness or character flaw. - What is your weakness? My weakness is to obtain more knowledge. - Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal"-satire proposes that children be eaten in order to deal with overcrowding in London during the Industrial Revolution.

Metonymy

In literature, it refers to the practice of not using the formal word for an object or subject and instead referring to it by using another word that is intricately linked to the formal name or word. -England decides to keep check on immigration. (England refers to the government.) -The pen is mightier than the sword. (Pen refers to written words and sword to military force.) -Let me give you a hand.

Paradox

In literature, it refers to the use of concepts or ideas that are contradictory to one another, yet, when placed together hold significant value on several levels. -Your enemy's friend is your enemy. -"I can resist anything but temptation." - Oscar Wilde -A rich man is no richer than a poor man.

Cacophony

In literature, it 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: He grunted in a grumpy, gruff and glottal voice: "Get out of my house"

Imagery

In literature, one of the strongest devices is imagery wherein the author uses words and phrases to create "mental images" for the reader. Imagery helps the reader to visualize more realistically the author's writings. -The gushing brook stole its way down the lush green mountains, dotted with tiny flowers in a riot of colors and trees coming alive with gaily chirping birds. -It was dark and dim in the forest. - The words "dark" and "dim" are visual images.

Ethos

In rhetoric, ethos represents credibility or an ethical appeal which involves persuasion by the character involved. Ethos confirms the credibility of a writer or a speaker and thus they become trustworthy in the eyes of listeners and readers who as a result are persuaded by their arguments. e.g. "Doctors all over the world recommend this type of treatment." "Having a 20 year experience in teaching, I can surely say that The Lord of the Flies is a book that must be read by Ss."

Metaphor

It is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some characteristics common between them. In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics. -"Henry was a lion on the battlefield". -My brother was boiling mad. -The skies of his future began to darken.

Oxymoron

It is a significant literary device as it allows the author to use contradictory, contrasting concepts placed together in a manner that actually ends up making sense in a strange, and slightly complex manner. - Sometimes, little things are the ones we cherish the most. -He possessed a cold fire in his eyes. -Open secret

Parody

It is an imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect. The humorous effect in parody is achieved by imitating and over-stressing noticeable features of a famous piece of literature, as in caricatures, where certain peculiarities of a person are highlighted to achieve a humorous effect. - Scary movie 1, 2, 3, 4 are parodies - Johnny English Parody of James Bond - Epic movie parody of several movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Narnia, Harry Potter, etc.

Stereotyping

It is grouping races or individuals together and making a judgment about them without knowing them. Men are strong and do all the work. Men are the "backbone." Women aren't as smart as a man. Women can't do as good of a job as a man. Girls are not good at sports. Guys are messy and unclean.

What is a literary device?

It is like a genre or form of literature. An instrument used by the human author used to best communicate the sacred truth. It is through these literary devices we learn these truths

Diction

It is the distinctive tone or tenor of an author's writings. Diction is not just a writer's choice of words it can include the mood, attitude, dialect and style of writing. -"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." (It was, it was... is used to give the reader more consideration to the words.)

Ellipsis

It is the omission of a word or series of words. There are two slightly different definitions of ellipsis which are pertinent to literature. The first definition of ellipsis is the commonly used series of three dots, which can be place at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence or clause. These three dots can stand in for whole sections of text that are omitted that do not change the overall meaning. The dots can also indicate a mysterious or unfinished thought, a leading sentence, or a pause or silence. This punctuation is also referred to as a suspension point, points of ellipsis, periods of ellipsis, or in speech may be called, "dot-dot-dot." - You went to the restaurant. And...? - Well, we looked at each other and... - So...what happened? - Hmmm... I still don't know. Can you help me? - ...sure.

Parallelism

It is the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. - Like father, like son. - Flying is fast, comfortable, and safe.

Amplification

It refers to a literary practice wherein the writer embellishes the sentence by adding more information to it in order to increase its worth and understandability. Example: -Original sentence- The thesis paper was difficult. -After amplification- The thesis paper was difficult due to it required extensive research, data collection, sample surveys, interviews and fieldwork in abundance.

logos

Logos is a Greek word meaning logic. Logos is a literary device that can be defined as a statement, sentence or argument used to convince or persuade the targeted audience by employing reason or logic. e.g. All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

Pathos

Pathos is a quality of an experience in life or a work of art that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy and sorrow. Pathos can be expressed through words, pictures or even with gestures of the body. e.g. In chapter 8 of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer. "He had meant the best in the world, and been treated like a dog—like a very dog. She would be sorry someday—maybe when it was too late. Ah, if he could only die TEMPORARILY!"

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts Example: Vice and Virtue Good and Evil Night and Day Fate and Free Will

Sarcasm

Sarcasm is a literary and rhetorical device that is meant to mock with often satirical or ironic remarks with a purpose to amuse and hurt someone or some section of society simultaneously. Types of Sarcasm: Sarcasm often depends upon the voice tone. There are seven types: -Self-Deprecating Sarcasm - This category of sarcasm expresses an overstated sense of inferiority and worthlessness. -Brooding Sarcasm - In this criticism, the speaker utters something polite. However, the tone of his speech has a marked bitterness in it. -Deadpan Sarcasm - It is expressed without emotion or laughter making it difficult for the listener to judge whether the speaker is joking or mocking. -Polite Sarcasm - A speaker is said to have delivered a polite sarcasm when his listeners only get to realize that his kind remark was a sarcastic one after they had given it some thought. -Obnoxious Sarcasm - This kind of sarcasm makes people feel like punching the speaker in the face. It is not very funny and it gets under your skin. -Manic Sarcasm - This type of sarcasm is delivered in an unnatural happy mood that it makes the speaker look like he has gone crazy. -Raging Sarcasm - This kind of sarcasm relies mainly on exaggeration and violent threats. e.g. "Good fences make good neighbors." I'm trying to imagine you with a personality. I work 10 hours a week to be this poor? Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?

Foreshadowing

The literary device that refers to the use of indicative word or phrases and hints that set the stage for a story to unfold and give the reader a hint of something that is going to happen without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense. -"He had no idea of the disastrous chain of events to follow". -"Something has to be done about that dog, baking and howling all nights will drive us crazy."

Asyndeton

The omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence such as and, or, but

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences Purpose: to build a sense of climax. - "Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better" - "My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration." - "I want my money right now, right here, all right?"

Alliteration

The repetition of beginning consonant sounds through a sequence of words. -Nobody needs nine nylon nighties. -"It was the meanest moment of eternity."

Euphemism

The use of a word or phrase to avoid saying another word or phrase that may be unpleasant or offensive -You are becoming a little thin on top (bald). -We do not hire mentally challenged (stupid) people. -Gone to heaven

Simile

They are comparisons between two unrelated and dissimilar things, people, beings, places and concepts using "AS and LIKE". - He is like a mouse in front of the teacher. - The fact that he was all of the time made her feel as if her heart was being crushed into little pieces.

Rhetorical

This is a type of question that doesn't require an answer. - I forgot my wallet, why am I so distracted? - How did this idiot get elected? - A cat passes really fast in front of you. Where di he come from?

Understatement

This literary device refers to the practice of drawing attention to a fact that is already obvious and noticeable. Understating a fact is usually done by way of sarcasm, irony, wryness or any other form of dry humor. - The phrase, "Oh! I wonder if he could get any later; I am free all day long". Said in a sarcastic tone it indicates that the speaker obviously means the opposite of the literal meaning. - "It's a bit yellow" - while describing a very yellow canary. - "I know a little about running a company", commented the rich and successful businessman.

Personification.

To give a non-human object or abstract concept human qualities. - And the wolf wondered where he was. - Poor computer, it must be exhausted from so many tasks.

Synecdoche

Using a part of something, or something closely related, to refer to a larger whole Purpose: to surprise and delight readers and invite them to consider a familiar idea from a new angle. - This room is full of suits. Referring to businessmen.

Dichotomy

a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different. "a rigid dichotomy between science and mysticism" The conference about public education and private education was really interesting.

Archetype

an original model on which something was patterned or replicated; the ideal example of a particular type of person or thing. There are three archetypal devices: 1. Archetypal Situations Example: Good vs Evil - Fate vs Free Will 2. Archetypal Characters: The lover - The Hero - The Damsel in distress 3. Archetypal Symbols: Water (life) - Heaven (Safety) - Black (Death)