Common Rhetorical Devices Mrs. Efpatridis ENG 1DP Anaphora: repeating the same word at the beginning of successive sentences to create effect and/or add emphasis (on the 5th day . . . on the 6th day . . . ) Antithesis: establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure (It was the worst of times; it was the best of times; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools) Apostrophe: directly addresses a person or personified thing, either present or absent. Its most common purpose in prose is to display intense emotion (O heavenly gift; O value of wisdom) Appositive: a noun or noun substitute placed next to (in apposition to) another noun to be described or defined by the appositive. The appositive can be placed before or after any noun. Henry Jameson, the boss of the operation, always wore a red baseball cap. A notorious annual feast, the picnic was well attended. Epistrophe refers to repeating the same word at the end of successive clauses or sentences to create effect and/or add emphasis Metonymy is another form of metaphor, very similar to synecdoche (and, in fact, some rhetoricians do not distinguish between the two), in which the thing chosen for the metaphorical image is closely associated with (but not an actual part of) the subject with which it is to be compared. Ex. The orders came directly from the White House. A word or phrase stands in for a similar word or phrase: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Pen = written word; sword= military strength Parallelism: a recurrent syntactical similarity; several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in importance; parallelism also adds balance or rhythm as well as clarity (the children ran, danced and laughed) Polysyndeton is the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause, and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton. The rhetorical effect of polysyndeton, however, often shares with that of asyndeton a feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up. They read and studied and wrote and drilled. I laughed and played and talked and flunked. Rhetorical question: since its answer is obvious or obviously desired, this form of question is not answered; it is used for effect, emphasis, provocation or for drawing a conclusion from the facts at hand. The intended answer is known or implied. Synecdoche is a type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole, the whole for a part, the genus for the species, the species for the genus, the material for the thing made, or in short, any portion, section, or main quality for the whole or the thing itself (or vice versa). Farmer Jones has two hundred head of cattle and three hired hands. Here we recognize that Jones also owns the bodies of the cattle, and that the hired hands have bodies attached. This is a simple part-for-whole synecdoche. Here are a few more: If I had some wheels, I'd put on my best threads and ask for Jane's hand in marriage. Difference between Rhetorical Device and Figures of Speech Rhetorical figures or devices are employed to achieve particular emphasis and effect. Rhetorical devices, however, are different from “figures of speech”. Wherever and whenever a figure of speech is used in written texts and speech, it alters meanings of words. For example, the metaphor used in the expression “He is a tiger,” is a complete altered form of a simple idea “He is brave.” Try to compare this example to the use of a rhetorical device in the example below: “I am never ever going to rob anyone for you and never ever going to go to work for you.” The repetition in the above example does lay emphasis on the statement but does not alter the sense of it. Common Examples of Usage of Rhetoric Below are a few examples on how rhetoric is employed by using various literary devices that you are already familiar with: How did this idiot get elected? – A rhetorical question to convince others that the “idiot” does not deserve to be elected. Here comes the Helen of our school. – An allusion to “Helen of Troy” to emphasize the beauty of a girl. I would die if you asked me to sing in front of my parents – A hyperbole to persuade others not to use force to make you do something which you don’t want to do. All blonde-haired people are dumb. – Using a stereotype to develop a general opinion about a group. ***Nevertheless, the difference between rhetorical devices and figures of speech is so minute that both share many features. A figure of speech becomes a device in rhetoric when it is aimed at persuading the readers or listeners. Function of Rhetoric Rhetoric, as explained above, is a tool for writers and orators which empower them to convince their readers and listeners about their point of view. Often, we find rhetoric examples in religious sermons and political speeches. They aim to make comparisons, to evoke tender emotions, to censure rivals and all this is done to persuade listeners. Advertisers give their ads a touch of rhetoric to boost their sales by convincing people that their product is better than other products in the market. For instance, in an advertisement, a girl – after shampooing her hair – says, “I can’t stop touching my hair.” This is an attempt to entice consumers, through visual rhetoric, to have soft and shiny hair like her.