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Rhetoric is the art of speaking and writing
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It’s aim is to:
 Persuade
 Inform
 Express a personal thought
 Entertain the reader
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Use them to help strengthen the strategy of
your paper
 Some are transitional tools
 Some are meant to help you present your evidence
or information as strongly as possible
 Some link the entire essay together, making it
cohesive and intentional
▪ This characteristic produces higher scores on standardized
tests (AP, SAT, etc.)
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To enhance style
 Conveys your personality
 Can mean the difference between a “blah” essay
and a memorable essay
 Produces powerful effects
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allusion
analogy
anaphora
asyndeton
hyperbole
metaphor
parallelism
personification
polysyndeton
repetition
rhetorical question
simile
symbolism
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A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or
idea of historical, cultural, literary or political
significance. It does not describe in detail the person or
thing to which it refers.
Example: “This place is like a Garden of Eden.”
–This is a biblical allusion to the “garden of
in the Book of Genesis.
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God”
Effect: allows writers to simplify complex ideas
and emotions by comparing them to a familiar
topic they’ve heard referenced.
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A comparison between two different “things”
in order to highlight some point of similarity
 What is the difference between analogy and metaphor?
▪ An analogy does not claim total identification, like a
metaphor does. Analogy claims a similarity of
relationships. (Bradford Stull, The Elements of Figurative
Language )
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Example: The human eye is similar to a camera. It has a lens
and can focus on objects both near and far.
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Effect: To simplify a complex argument or concept for an
audience
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the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of
successive clauses
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Example: "We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in
France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall
fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the
air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may
be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the
landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the
streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
(Winston Churchill, speech to the House of Commons,
June 4, 1940)
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Effect: To emphasize an emotion or a point
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A writing style that omits conjunctions (and, or,
etc.) between words, phrases, or clauses
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Example: "He was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a
broken stick, a maniac."
(Jack Kerouac, On the Road, 1957)
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Effect: it suggests the series is somehow
incomplete; it can also make all elements seem
equally important, and it can quicken the pace of
prose
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An exaggeration of ideas for the
sake of emphasis
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Example:
 I haven’t seen you in ages!
 I was buried in homework!
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Effect: can be used for humor or to make a
point about an idea
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An implied or hidden comparison between two things
or objects that are quite different from each other but
have some characteristics common between them
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Example:
 My room was a disaster area.
 My son is a tornado.
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Effect: to appeal directly to the senses of listeners or
readers, to enhance imagination, to simplify complex
ideas, offer new ways of viewing the world
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Parallelism in writing refers to balance and
equality of grammatical structures and
placement.
Example:
 Not parallel: I enjoy long walks on the beach, eating
gourmet food, and to stargaze on a clear night.
 Parallel: I enjoy taking long walks on the
beach, eating gourmet food, and stargazing on a clear
night.
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Effect: To emphasize points and enhance flow
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Giving human qualities or characteristics to
inanimate objects or abstract ideas.
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Example:
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“Oreo: milk’s favorite cookie”
Effect: To promote understanding
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The use of a number of conjunctions (and, or,
etc.) to separate words, phrases, clauses or
sentences.
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Example:
 “We lived and laughed and loved and left.”
-James Joyce, Finnegan's Wake
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Effect: To establish rhythm and to emphasize
the ideas the conjunctions connect.
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Repeating the same words or phrases a few times to
make an idea clearer.
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Example:
I was glad it was raining so hard, because it
made it easy to cry. I cried and cried and cried, and
the whole time I was calling for Winn-Dixie.
 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
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Effect: stylistically appealing and helps convey the
message in much more engaging and notable way.
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A question asked solely to produce effect; does
not require a reply
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Example:
 “Why are people so annoying sometimes?”
 “Should you really be eating a bacon double
cheeseburger while on your diet?”
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Effect: Guides readers to an obvious answer that
supports writer’s argument
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Shows similarities between two different things.
Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with
the help of words “like” or “as.”
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Example:
 “I would have given anything for the power to soothe her
frail soul, tormenting itself in its invincible ignorance like a
small bird beating about the cruel wires of a cage.” (Joseph
Conrad, “Lord Jim”)
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Effect: attracts reader’s attention and appeals directly
to the senses/imagination of listeners or readers
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the use of symbols to show ideas and qualities by
having them represent meanings that are different
from their literal sense.
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Example: Black is often used to represent something
bad, such as death or evil, and white often represents
something that is good and pure
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Effect: gives a writer freedom to add double levels of
meanings to his work: a literal one that is self-evident
and the symbolic one whose meaning is far more
profound than the literal one.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle discovered that when
trying to persuade someone, there are three ways to
appeal to them and successfully convince them of your
argument:
Ethos– Using the writer’s image or character
Logos– Using logical arguments
Pathos– The emotions of the audience
Audiences believe speakers who they
judge to possess:
 good moral character
 expertise
 authority
Aristotle’s Syllogisms
 Example:
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All men are mortal.
Socrates is a man.
Therefore, Socrates is mortal
Effective persuasion depends on convincing
people to accept that our assumptions are
probably true and make sense.
Emotions greatly influence our rational
judgments
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Powerful emotions like anger, fear, and pity
are especially effective
Logical fallacies are errors in the structure of an
argument.
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“Fallacy” means falsehood.
These arguments can be used to distract people from
the actual issue or to persuade
Although these arguments may sound persuasive and
may seem correct, some part of the argument is flawed.
Loaded Language (Stacking the deck): ignores or
significantly downplays facts or evidence contrary to
one’s position and highlights points that support it.
Either/or fallacy: the argument that there are only two
possible answers to a complicated question, one usually
terrible.
Sweeping Generalization: An absolute statement
usually involving “all,” “always,” or “never” statements,
in which one exception will disprove the claim