ap lang rhetorical devices 1-30

anecdote

a brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature

perspective

a character’s view of the situation or events in the story

aphorism

a concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief

juxtaposition

the act of placing two or more things side by side, particularly to compare or contrast them, in order to highlight their differences or similarities

oxymoron

a figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, as in “jumbo shrimp” or “deafening silence”

allusion

a figure of speech which makes brief, even casual reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object to create a resonance in the reader or to apply a symbolic meaning to the character or object of which the allusion consists

syllogism

an instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion

satire

a literary style used to make fun of or ridicule an idea or human vice or weakness

bildungsroman

a novel or story whose theme is the moral or psychological growth of the main character

foil

a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast

epitaph

a piece of writing in praise of a deceased person

parody

a satirical imitation of a work of art for purpose of ridiculing its style or subject

periodic sentence

a sentence that withholds its main idea until the end

cumulative sentence

a complete sentence structure that begins with an independent clause and then adds one or more subordinate clauses or phrases that gather more details to refine the idea

sarcasm

a form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually bitterly or harshly critical

eulogy

a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing; an oration in honor of a deceased person

paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

epiphany

a sudden or intuitive insight or perception into the reality or essential meaning of something usually brought on by a simple or common occurrence or experience

onamatopoeia

a word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes, such as buzz or hiss. an author’s choice of words to convey a tone or effect

hyperbole

an overstatement characterized by exaggerated language

antagonist

character or force in a literary work that opposes the main character or protagonist

analogy

comparison of two things that are alike in some respects. metaphors and similes, for example.

nostalgia

desire to return in thought or fact to a former time

chiasmus

figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of parallel clauses is reversed in the second. “has the church failed mankind or has mankind failed the church?”

antithesis

the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words or phrases

zeugma

using one word to modify two other words in two different ways (verb applying to two objects)

propaganda

information or rumor deliberately spread to help or harm a person, group, or institution

didactic

intended for teaching or to teach a moral lesson

formal language

language that is lofty, dignified, or impersonal

allegory

narrative form in which characters and actions have meanings outside themselves; characters are usually personifications of abstract qualities

abstract language

words and phrases that describe intangible concepts, ideas, qualities, or generalizations that cannot be directly experienced with the five senses.