Rhetorical Terms and Strategies Definitions (NOV. 7)

ABSTRACTION

Describes concepts, ideas, and qualities, rather than concrete images, people or places

ALLEGORY

Uses a narrative to convey a complex message through symbolism

ALLITERATION

Describes the repetition of constant sounds at the beginning of consecutive words

ALLUSIONS

A brief reference to a person, place, event, or another work of literature

AMBIVALENCE

Simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feeling toward an object, person, or action

ANALOGY

A comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of a particular aspect

ANALOGICAL COMPARISON

Comparison that involves aligning relational structure as well as noting matching features

ANECDOTE

A short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biological incident

ANTECEDENT

A preceding event, condition, or clause; what a pronoun refers to

ANTICLIMAX

An event, period, or outcome that is strikingly less important than expected