Rhetorical Terms Pre-Ap lit vocab list 6

Juxtaposition

Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.

Motif – a recurring idea in a piece of literature. An idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.

a recurring idea in a piece of literature. An idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.

Pacing –

The speed or tempo of an author’s writing. Writers can use a variety of devices An author’s ## can be fast, sluggish, stabbing, vibrato, staccato, measured, etc.

Parallelism –

(Also known as parallel structure or balanced sentences.) Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns used to add emphasis, organization, or sometimes pacing to writing.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent.

Chiasmus –

When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed. Also called antimetabole.

Antithesis

Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure.

Zuegma (Syllepsis)

When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies.

Parenthetical Idea

used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence. It is almost considered an aside...a whisper, and should be used sparingly for effect, rather than repeatedly. Can also be used to set off dates and numbers.

Parody

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes. It borrows words or phrases from an original, and pokes fun at it. This is also a form of allusion, since it is referencing a previous text, event, etc.

Persona

The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story. Do not confuse with alter

Propaganda –

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.