Understanding and Using Rhetoric 2024-25

Flashcards covering key concepts, definitions, and rhetorical terms from the lecture.

Ethos

The character or believability of the speaker or writer.

Logos

The logical content of the words used in an argument.

Pathos

The emotional appeal of the presentation to the audience.

Allusion

A reference to something in previous literature or history that makes connections across time and place.

Anaphora

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs, which emphasizes the subject.

Chiasmus

A figure of speech in which concepts are repeated in reverse order, prompting a shift in perspective. ex: ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.

Diacope

The repetition of a word or phrase after a brief interruption, which adds emphasis.

Double Epithet

Two words of identical or nearly identical meaning joined by a conjunction, adding depth. ex: big and mighty

Epistrophe

Ending subsequent sentences or clauses with the same word, which emphasizes the predicate. *opposite of anaphora

Epizeuxis

Immediately repeating a word in the same context to emphasize a single idea. ex: The horror! The horror!

Litotes

An understatement that expresses an idea by negating its opposite, often used ironically. ex: this is no small problem

Merism

Naming all parts instead of something as a whole, which adds depth. ex: ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls - instead of ‘people’

Parallelism

The repetition of the same grammatical pattern within a sentence to create structural emphasis.

Polyptoton

The repeated use of one word in different grammatical forms or parts of speech. ex: please/please me - (intj. verb)

Preterition

A figure of speech that calls attention to something while pretending not to dwell on it.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked without the expectation of an answer, used to engage the audience.

Tricolon

A figure of speech comprised of three clearly defined parts, creating emphasis and rhythm.

Tricolon Crescens

A tricolon in which the parts are listed in ascending order of importance or size.