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AP Lang Rhet Terms1
Mrs. Wendy Scruggs's AP Rhetorical Devices Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Hamartia(Tragic Flaw) in the context of tragedy, a fatal flaw or error that brings about the downfall of someone of a high status. | In Shakespeare's Romeos and Juliet, the rashness of the two young lovers-especially Romeo-leads to their deaths. |
| Foreshadowing An author's deliberate use of hints and suggestions to give a preview of events or themes that do not develop until later in the narrative. | In Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, the nightmares Lockwood has the night he sleeps in Catherine's bed prefigure later events in the novel. |
| Expert Opinion The citation of accredited authorities in support of an argument | Four out of five dentists surveyed recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum. |
| Euphemism The use of decorous language to express unpleasant or vulgar ideas, events, or actions. | Saying "ethnic cleansing" instead of "genocide". |
| Epizeuxis Repetition of the same word with no other words in between for emphasis | She, she it was who broke my heart. |
| Epithet An adjective or phrase that describes a prominent or distinguishing feature of a person or thing. | "Richard the Lionheart." "Shoeless Joe Jackson." "The Brooklyn Bomber." |
| Emblem A concrete object that represents something abstract; unlike a symbol it has a fixed meaning and does not change over time. | The image of a serpent to represent evil. |
| Ellipsis A figure of speech in which a word or short phrase is omitted but easily understood from the context. | Romeo and loves Juliet and Juliet, Romeo. |
| Dramatic Irony(Tragic Irony) A technique in which the author lets the reader in on a characters situation while the character remains in the dark; thus the characters words and action carry a significance that he or she is not aware of. | In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Oedipus vows to discover his father's murderer, not knowing, as the audience does, that he himself is the murderer. |
| Delayed Sentence A sentence that delays introducing the subject and verb (or independent clause)until the end. | In the prime of his life, he was cut down. |
| Deductive Reasoning Reasoning in which derives a specific conclusion from something generally or universally understood to e true. | Chicken is supposed to be healthy. This sandwich contains chicken, so it is probably healthy. |
| Cliche An expression that has been used so frequently it has lost its expressive power. | Turn over a new leaf. |
| Chiasmus Two phrases in which the syntax is the same but the placement of words is reversed. | When the going gets tough, the tough get going. |
| Canon An evolving group of literary works considered essential to a cultures literary tradition. | The works of Homer, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Bronte, and other great writers. |
| Biography The nonfictional story of an individual's life, written by someone else. | James Boswell's life of Samuel Johnson. Plato's The Death of Socrates. George Kent's A Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. |
| Bildungsroman A novel about the education or psychological growth of the protagonist(main character) | Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Monica Ali's Brick. J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye |
| Auxesis Arranging words or clauses in a sequence of increasing force. | Get that dog! |
| Autobiography The narrative of a person's life written by that person | Richard Wright's Black Boy. Helen Keller's The Story of My Life. Anne Frank's The Diary of a young Girl. |
| Argument from cause and effect A form of argument in which a cause-and-effect relationship is support of another proposition | Children's television programs should not run advertisements are contributions to an increase in sugar consumption and diabetes among children |
| Argument by definition Form of argument in which the writers defines a term by placing it in a particular category, thereby claiming that what is true for the whole category is true for the particular term. | Women must have the right to vote because they are individuals, and all individuals are endowed with certain inalienable rights, including the right to vote. |
| Argument by comparison A means of argument by which two situations are presented as similar(or dissimilar), usually to suggest that what is valid for one situation should be valid for another | Congress was right to lower the voting from twenty-one to eighteen, because if you are old enough to join the army and fight in a war, then you are old enough to vote. |
| Archetype A theme, motif, symbol, or character that holds a familiar and fixed place in a cultures consciousness. | The color white usually signifies purity, while black usually signifies evil |
| Appeal to the probable or likely A form of argument in which a claim is supported by reference to what seems mot plausible or what one would expect in a given situation. Such appeals are usually made when more solid or factual evidence is unavailable. | We should not spend our budget surplus this year, because we are likely to need it for unseen expenses. |
| Apostrophe A direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, quality, or idea. | Walt Whitman's poem "O Captain, My Captain" was written upon the death of Abraham Lincoln |
| Aposiopesis A breaking off speech, usually due to rising emotion or excitement | Why i oughtta..... |
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wendyscruggs
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