Rhetorical
Devices
and
Literary
Terms
Park 2005
Tragedy:
Alas, an Unhappy Ending
A tragedy is a play, novel, or other narrative
that depicts serious and important events
and ends unhappily for the main character.
 Like the tragedies of the ancient Greeks,
Shakespeare’s tragedies share these
characteristics:
Definition of Tragedy
The main character is often high ranking
and dignified, not an ordinary man or
woman.
 The main character has a tragic flaw –a
defect in character or judgment- that
directly causes the character’s downfall.
 The work ends unhappily, with the death
of the main character.

Rhetorical Devices
Rhetoric – skill in using language
effectively and persuasively
Emotional appeal – attempts to arouse the
emotion of audience (loaded words)
 Logical appeal – attempts to arouse the emotion
through reasoning (facts, statistics)
 Ethical appeal – attempts to arouse the feelings
between right and wrong of the audience; based
on the audience’s perception of the speaker
– If the speaker is reputable, believable
- then believed

Rhetorical question – question asked for a
purpose other than to obtain the
information the question asks; more likely
to be an accusation or an expression of
feeling (Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t he a crook?)
 Repetition – act of repeating or being
repeated
 Paradox – seemingly contradictory
statement that may be true (The less you
have the more free you are. You must lose
your life to save it.)

Paradox
“The silence of midnight, to speak truly, though apparently a
paradox, rung in my ears" (Mary Shelley)
"War is peace.”
"Freedom is slavery.”
"Ignorance is strength.” (George Orwell, 1984)

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales
again.” (C.S. Lewis to his godchild, Lucy Barfield, to whom
he dedicated The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)

"There was only one catch and that was Catch22, which specified that concern for one's own
safety in the face of dangers that were real and
immediate was the process of a rational mind.
Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had
to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would
no longer be crazy and would have to fly more
missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more
missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was
sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was
crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to
he was sane and had to."
(Joseph Heller, Catch-22)
More examples of Paradox
 You
have to be cruel to be kind
 Less is more
 Bad things happen to good people
 Well-known secret agent
 Mobilization for peace
 Parallel
Structure
– “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
– I have a dream that….
– same pattern of words to show that
two or more ideas have the same
level of importance
 Mary likes to hike, to swim, and
to ride a bicycle.
Mary likes hiking, swimming,
and riding a bicycle.
 Loaded
words (diction)
– strong emotional overtones or
connotations and which evoke
strongly positive (or negative)
reactions
– “N-” word
– Anorexic vs thin
– Plant vs weed
– Terrorist vs freedom fighter
from "Kubla Khan", by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge
build the effect of beauty and enchantment:
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree;
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran,
Through caverns measureless to man,
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
--
 Anecdotes
– Personal story that illustrates a
point
– Charlotte Church (English): Being in America
During a concert in December 2002, Charlotte
Church kindly told her audience that she loved
being in America. When her comment was met
with a stony silence, Church sang "The Christmas
Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" and
quickly left the stage. Some time later, she
reappeared to make an announcement: "Someone
told me backstage that we're in Canada... I'm
sorry!"
Literary Terms
– play that ends unhappily
for the main character
–Ex: Romeo DIES; Juliet DIES
 Tragedy
hero – Admirable or noble
hero who has a personal failing that
leads to his/her downfall
 Tragic
flaw – a failing that leads a
character to make choices that result in
tragedy
– Ex: Idealistic, Too trusting, Indecisive
– Ex: Romeo’s Flaw: Impatience
I love Rosaline.
I love Juliet. (several hours later)
I can’t be with her.
I want to die.
 Tragic
 Comedy
- play that ends happily. main
character gets what he wants
 Charater foil or dramatic foil –
character who contrasts dramatically with
another character; person makes another
seem better by contrast;
– In jewelry making, foil placed behind a
jewel to increase its brilliance. In its literary
use, foil works in same way: character set
near another to increase the key character's
brilliance
– Ex: Batman/Robin
Mature/immature
– Ex: Romeo/Mercutio Serious/Playful
 Dialogue
- conversation
 Monologue – LOOOONG speech by
1 person to one or more on stage
 Soliloquy – speech by 1; solo on
stage
 Aside – line spoken by an actor to
the audience but not intended for
others on the stage
Works Cited

for Lit terms
Traci’s list of Ten. 02 Feb. 2002. 17 April
2009 <http://tengrrl.com/tens/
041.shtml>.