AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Terms

rhetorical situation

circumstances that surround an attempt at persuasion

SPACECAT

speaker, purpose, audience, context, exigence, choices, appeals, tone

speaker

not necessarily the writer, background info, character qualities

purpose

different from subject (topic being discussed) and message (what audience shld understand), why did they make this, what r they trying to accomplish

audience

who is the intended audience, did they make any assumptions, etc

context

how is it created/delivered, what is happening at the moment, would it be diff at a diff time

exigence

inspiration for argument at the tie, spark

choices

how they craft the text to achieve purpose, why do the make the choice

appeals

ethos, logos, pathos

tone

attitude, shifts, using diction, imagery, etc to convey feelings

allusion

indirect/passing reference to a person, place, event, etc; not fully explained, expected to be grasped (WHY DOES IT ADD MEANING TO STORY)

detail

observations, reasons, examples, particulars, reader's perception

diction

choice of words! denotation, connotation, formal/informal, elevated/simplistic

denotation

literal meaning of the word

connotation

meaning suggested by word/feeling evoked

figurative language!

not used in a literal way, strong vivid way to impart greater meaning in less words

metaphors

implied comparsion

similes

directly stated comparsion

personification

metaphor giving human qualities to smth not human

symbol

object/event/character that functions as itself but also abstract idea, not directly stated but repeated/contrast

hyperbole

exaggeration based in truth

irony

opposite of what we mean or expect

imagery

sensory language, captures our senses

patterns

repetition, contrast, dualities, breaking writing conventions

syntax/pacing

way words are arranged in sentences, pay attention to parts of sentence, sentence length, flowing/choppy

tone/mood

expression of author's attitude towards audience/subject, r they straightforward, factual, open, indirect, is there emotion? shifts?

anaphora

repetition of same word/groups of words at beginning of successive clauses, form of parallelism, with strong words

antithesis

two opposites put together with parallel structure, contrast

enumeration

listing out items, events, ideas, showing a lot

juxtaposition

strategic placement of 2 things closely together to show similarities/differences

extended metaphor

continues over several sentences

oxymoron

2 contradictory terms used in successive words/groups of words, emphasizes ironic truth (ex. heavy light)

parallelism

use of components that r grammatically the same, similar grammatical structure, sound, meaning, meter

pun

joke exploiting diff meanings of a word of diff meanings of words that sound alike

rhetorical question

question with no expectation of an answer

understatement

understated, pretending to ignore a truth of situation

rhetorically accurate verbs

don't use says, states, writes, utilizes, shows, uses, passive verbs

tone dictionary

important

line of reasoning

the logical path and structured sequence of ideas that connects a central claim or thesis to supporting evidence and final conclusions

logos

appeals to reason, text of argument

ethos

appeals to writer's character, credibility

pathos

emotions

narration

to make topic relatable, telling a story with dialogue, point of view, personalizes

description

establishes mood or atmosphere, easier to emphasize with you and subject, humanizes

process analysis

explains subject clearly and logically with transitions

illustration/exemplification

turns general idea into concrete

comparsion and contrast

juxtapositioning two things to highlight their similarities and differences

classification/division

sort material or ideas into major categories to make connections with stuff that could seem unrelated

definition

ensure that writers and audiences are speaking the same language to lay foundation of common ground, first step in debate/argument

cause and effect

yeah cause and effect lol