style elements and rhetorical [UPDATED-ALL TERMS 10.27]

alliteration

repetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in sequence

allusion

brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) or to a work of art

anaphora

a form of parallelism in which the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

antimetabole

a form of parallelism that utilizes repetition of words in reverse order

antithesis

opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction. a form of parallelism

archaic diction

old-fashioned or outdated choice of words

asyndeton

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words. A form of parallelism

cumulative sentence

sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on

hortative sentence

sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action

imperative sentence

sentence used to command or enjoin

inversion

inverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order)

juxtaposition

placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences

metaphor

figure of speech that compares two things without using like or as

oxymoron

paradoxical juxtaposition of words that seem to contradict one another

parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

periodic sentence

sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end

personification

attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea

rhetorical question

figure of speech in the form of a question posed for rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer

synecdoche

figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole

zeugma

use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous, meanings

audience

the listener, viewer, or reader of a text. most texts are likely to have multiple audiences

concession

an acknowledgment that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable. in a strong argument, a ___ is usually accompanied by a refutation challenging the validity of the opposing argument

connotation

meanings/associations that readers have with a word beyond its definition, or denotation. usually positive or negative, and they can greatly affect the author's tone

context

the circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text

counterargument

an opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward. rather than ignoring a counterargument, a strong writer will usually address it through the process of concession and refutation

exigence

the event or occurrence that prompts rhetorical discourse. begins the "cycle" of rhetorical discourse about a particular issue

ethos

greek for "character." demonstrates that the speaker is credible/trustworthy to speak on a given topic. is established by both who you are and what you say

logos

greek for "embodied thought" Speakers appeal to reason, by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up

pathos

greek for "suffering" or "experience" Speakers emotionally motivate their audience. more specific appeals to pathos might play on the audience's values, desires, and hopes, on the one hand, or fears and prejudices, on the other

occasion

the time and place a speech is given or a piece is written

persona

greek for "mask" the face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience

polemic

greek for "hostile." an aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion overall others. generally does not concede that opposing opinions have any merit

propaganda

the spread of ideas and information to further a cause. in its negative sense, this is the use of rumors, lies, disinformation, and scare tactics in order to damage or promote a cause

purpose

the goal the speaker wants to achieve

refutation

a denial of the validity of an opposing argument. in order to sound reasonable, these oftenfollow a concession that acknowledges that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable

rhetoric

Aristotle defined the term, "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." the art of finding ways to persuade an audience

rhetorical appeals

techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling [ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion)]

rhetorical triangle (Aristotelian triangle)

a diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject in determining a text

SOAPStone

a mnemonic device that stands for subject, occasion, audience, purpose, speaker, and tone. a handy way to remember the various elements that make up the rhetorical situation

speaker

the person or group who creates a text

subject

the topic of a text. what the text is about

text

not just consumed and comprehended, but investigated. (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, political cartoons, fine art, photography, performances, fashion,

exigence

what prompts the author to write in the first place"what is it?" "what caused it" "what good is it

figurative language

expressive use of language, in which words are used in other than their literal sense to suggest a picture personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, simile, idiom, metaphor

analogy

a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based"She's blind as a bat"

testimony

evidence in support of a fact or statement (open declaration)

objective

balanced, unbiased, observation, & facts
"it's raining"

subjective

assumption, judgement, opinions, rumors, suspicion
"i love the rain"

euphemism

substitution of mild, indirect, vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, blunt"passed away" -> "died"

colloquialism

words/phrase that is appropriate to ordinary/familiar conversation (not formal)"y'all" "gonna" "wanna"

paradox

statement/proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd (provokes fresh thoughts)
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

ironic

the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning"a fire station burns down"

fable vs parable

both short stories written with a moral lesson

fable

ft. animals, plats, inanimate objects
"tortoise and the hare"

parable

ft humans
"The boy who cried wold"

implication

indicate/suggest without being explicitly stated

apostrophe

directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love"liberty" "love"

condemnation

indicate strong disapproval of (to express unfavored or adverse judgement)

parody

humorous/satirical imitation of a serious place of literature or writing