Rhetorical Devices
Diction: the choice of words
Tone
the reflection of a writer’s attitude (especially toward
the readers) manner, mood, and moral outlook in his
work; even, perhaps, the way his personality pervades
his work. The counterpart of “tone of voice” in
speech.
Syntax
sentence construction
Antithesis
contrasting ideas sharpened by the use of opposite or
noticeably different meanings
set two contrasts against each other
"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can
do for your country.”
“Crafty men contemplate studies; simple men admire them,
and wise men use them.” --Sir Francis Bacon
Balanced Sentence
both sides of the sentence are "equal" in form and
length
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can
do for your country.”
Rhetorical question
a question not expecting an answer, or one to which
the answer is more of less self-evident. It is used
primarily for stylistic effect, and is a very common
device in public speaking—especially when the
speaker is trying to work up the “emotional
temperature” of the audience with his appeal to pathos
Rhetoric
The art of using language for persuasion, in speaking
and writing; we will examine the author’s use of
rhetoric in everything we read this year.
Voice
the tone of a passage is a product of the author's voice
voice in a story/essay will depend on purpose and
audience
Polysyndeton
the repetition of conjunctions; frequently "and"
this makes everything in the list "equal"
I need to buy lemons and oranges and cherries.
After work, I have to go to the drycleaners and the bank and
the grocery store and the day care center.
Allusion
an indirect reference to prior knowledge; esp. another
work of art, literature, event, or person; usually
biblical or mythological
Suzanne Britt’s reference to “Never-Never Land” in “Neat
People vs. Sloppy People”
Denotation
The most literal and limited meaning of a word,
regardless of what one may feel about it or the
suggestions and ideas it connotes; similar to the
dictionary definition.
Connotation
The suggestion or implication evoked by a word or
phrase over and above what they actually mean or
denote. A connotation may be personal and
individual, or general and universal.
Meanings of “Dad,” “daddy,” father”
Hyperbole
exaggeration for the sake of emphasis
Dave Barry’s first sentence in “Batting Clean-Up and
Striking Out”: “The primary difference between men and
women is that women can see extremely small quantities of
dirt.”
Juxtaposition
setting two opposing/contrasting ideas side by side to
call attention to either their similarities or difference
Dillard’s juxtaposition of her reaction and the weasel’s
reaction.
David Sedaris’ juxtaposition of his life and Hugh’s life in
“Remembering my Childhood on the Continent of Africa”
Didactic
Any writing which seeks out to instruct may be called
didactic.
Instructive, designed to impart information, advice, or
some doctrine of morality or philosophy.
Dante’s Inferno is a didactic work that addresses man’s
behavior and the consequences of his sins and vices.
Pedantic
Scholarly; the tone of many college history or science
textbooks
Abstract Language
Abstract words refer to ideas, conditions, and qualities
we cannot directly perceive:
truth, love, courage, evil.
Concrete Language
Concrete words indicate things we can know with our
senses:
tree, chair, bird, pen, motorcycle, thunderclap,
lightening
Colloquial expressions
Words and phrases occurring primarily in speech and
in informal writing that seeks a relaxed, conversational
tone. The use of informal expressions appropriate to
everyday speech rather than to the formality of
writing. (colloquialism)
Ex: The thought of a “big fat F” on your paper scares you.
ethos
appeal to ethics
An ethical appeal asks readers to look favorably on the
writer. It stresses the writer’s intelligence,
competence, fairness, morality, and other qualities
desirable in a trustworthy debater or teacher.
Ex: In Jonathon Swift’s Modest Proposal one key
component of his argument is that neither he nor his family
would benefit from his proposal.
logos
rational or logical appeal; appeal to reason
This type of appeal asks the audience to use their
intellects and their power of reasoning.
In any writing, when you provide sound, statistical evidence
you appeal to logos.
pathos
the emotionally moving quality or power of a literary
work or of a particular passage within it, appealing
especially to our feelings of sorrow, pity, and
compassionate sympathy.
In Medea, Medea uses pathos to convince Creon to allow her
to stay one more day. This allows her to follow through with
her destructive plan.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two usually
contradictory terms in a compressed paradox.
Bittersweet
Paradox
an apparently self-contradictory statement which, on
closer inspection is found to contain a truth
reconciling the conflicting opposites.
Careless she is with artful care,
Affecting to seem unaffected. –Sir Thomas Brown
The silence was deafening.
Parallelism/parallel sentence
the arrangement of similarly constructed clauses,
sentences, or verse lines in a pairing or other sequence
suggesting some correspondence between them;
repetition of the same syntactic forms;
when the ideas are sharply opposed it is antithesis;
this includes parallel paragraph structure
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech or any other MLK speech.
Anaphora
a rhetorical device involving the repetition of a word
or phrase in successive clauses at the beginning of
sentences. Often used in sermons or speeches to add
emphasis.
“I am the way . . .” (Dante’s Inferno p. 629 of textbook)
“I have a dream . . .” (MLK’s speech)
Periodic Sentence
A complex sentence (review this in DTR) where the
main clause comes LAST—before the period.
After I leave school, pick up the kids, and walk the dog, I am
going to take a nap.
Cumulative (loose) sentence
A sentence where the primary independent clause
comes first (as opposed to a periodic sentence)
I am taking a nap after I go to the bank, pick up the kids, and
walk the dog.
Imagery
Use of language that evokes sense perceptions
(hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling, seeing)
Anecdote
a brief account or story about an individual or incident
In Sarah Vowell’s “Shooting Dad” she relates an anecdote
about her father shooting crows.
“Black Men in Public Spaces” begins with an anecdote
about a time the author “victimized” a woman.
Style
The characteristic manner of expression in prose or
verse; how a particular writer “says” things; the
analysis and assessment of style involves examination
of a writer’s choice of words, his figures of speech, the
rhetorical or literary devices, the shape of sentences
(syntax), the structure of paragraphs, etc.
Epigraph
A quotation or motto placed at the beginning of a
book, chapter, or poem as an indication to its theme
The term can also refer to the inscription on a
monument or coin
Epithet
Usually an adjective or phrase expressing some
quality or attribute which is characteristic of a person
or thing
“Eve the Rib” in Ericsson’s “The Ways We Lie”
“Honest Iago” in Othello
Euphemism
The substitution of a mild and pleasant expression for
a harsh and blunt one
to “pass away” instead of die