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Rhetorical Devices 1
English
| Term | Definition & Example |
|---|---|
| Thesis | Central claim and overall purpose of a work |
| Thesis | ex. The central argument of MLK Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is that racial inequality in America must be overcome through nonviolent civil obedience. |
| Bias | A predisposition or subjective opinion |
| Bias | ex. A news article about a political candidate that focuses only on their negatives and shortcomings |
| Call to Action | Writing that urges readers to Action or promote a change. |
| Call to Action | ex. The conclusion of an editorial that urges readers to contact their representatives about a new law |
| Anecdote | A short account of an interesting or humorous incident, intended to illustrate or support a point |
| Anecdote | ex. In his inaugural address, President Kennedy used a young astronaut to illustrate the pioneering spirit of Americans |
| Analogy | A comparison to a directly parallel case; the process of drawing a comparison between two things based on partial similarity of like features |
| Analogy | ex. Saying that revising an essay is like sculpting a statue - shaping and refining it overtime - compares the writing process to an artistic endeavor |
| Idiom | An expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words |
| Idiom | ex. Saying someone "let the cat out of the bag" means they revealed a secret, not that they actually released a physical cat |
| Tone | The voice and attitude that the writer chooses to project |
| Tone | ex. The sardonic, mocking tone of a political satirist expresses disdain and criticism through the language used |
| Mood | How the overall atmosphere makes a reader feel |
| Mood | ex. The somber, reflective feeling of a poem about loss and grief evokes feelings of melancholy in the reader |
| Antithesis | A contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas |
| Antithesis | ex. MLK Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech contrasts "The tranquil slumber of comfortable indifference" with the urgency of the civil rights movement |
| Allusion | A brief reference to a person, event, or place - real or fictitious - or to a work of art |
| Allusion | ex. When a political references "a shining city on a hill," they are referring to a famous sermon by Puritan leader John Winthrop |
| Juxtaposition | Placing two ideas side by side or close together |
| Juxtaposition | ex. In an essay, placing a personal anecdote about struggling to pay bills with data on rising income inequality |
| Euphemism | Substitutions of an inoffensive, indirect, or agreeable expression |
| Euphemism | ex. Using the term "collateral damage" for civilian casualties in war |
| Dysphemism | A harsh or disparaging word or phrase that's used instead of a more neutral one |
| Dysphemism | ex. If someone is fired from their job, saying that they were "canned" which makes it sound like they were disposed of |
| Paradox | A phrase or statement that while seeming contradictory or absurd may actually be well founded or true - used to attract attention or to secure emphasis |
| Paradox | ex. "I must be cruel, only to be kind" explains Hamlet's harsh actions as necessary to achieving a greater good |
| Motif | Recurrent images, words, objects, phrases, or actions that tend to unify the work |
| Motif | ex. In "To Kill a Mockingbird," the bird symbolizes innocence and is repeatedly referenced throughout the story, highlighting the theme of protecting the vulnerable - serves as a reminder of this central idea |
| Persona | The character that the speaker portrays |
| Persona | ex. In his poems, Robert Browning often adopts the character of a specific historical or fictional character to convey a certain perspective |
| Cliche | A timeworn expression that through overuse has lost its power to evoke concrete images |
| Cliche | ex. Phrases like "actions speak louder than words" and "the calm before the storm" |
| Dramatic Irony | When the audience knows something that the characters in a play or story do not, creating tension and humor |
| Situational Irony | When an outcome is very different than expected, such as firefighters' station burning down |
| Verbal Irony | When what is said is the opposite of the literal meaning; one type is sarcasm where the speaker says the opposite of what he or she means in order to show contempt or mock |
| Oxymoron | A self contradictory combination of words |
| Oxymoron | ex. "Jumbo shrimp," "open secret," "living dead" |
| Logos | Appealing to logical reasoning and sound evidence |
| Logos | ex. Citing statistics and research to support a claim |
| Ethos | Appealing to the audience's shared values |
| Ethos | ex. Demonstrating the speaker's expertise or good character |
| Pathos | Evoking and manipulating emotions |
| Pathos | ex. Vivid imagery or personal anecdotes |
| Aphorism | A concise or tersely phrased statement in principle, truth or opinion - often in law, politics, and art |
| Aphorism | ex. "With great power comes great responsibility" encapsulates a moral principle |
| Refutation | When a writer delivers relevant opposing arguments |
| Refutation | ex. Citing research that shows no direct link between video game playing and aggression to counter the claim that video games caused violent behavior in children |
| Allegory | A narrative in which character, action, and setting represent abstract concepts apart from the literal meaning of the story - underlying meaning usually has a moral, social, religious, or political significance |
| Allegory | ex. In George Orwell's Animal Farm there is a hidden story about the Russian Revolution. |
Created by:
ava.mayne
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