Ap lang rhetorical terms

Allegory

A story that has a symbolic meaning outside its initial portrayal

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in a sentence
ex: tongue twisters

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

Analogy

A comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.
ex: "A good leader is like a captain steering a ship through rough waters."

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences
ex: "I have a dream" by Martin Luther King Jr

Antithesis

a striking opposition or contrast in words used in the same sentence to secure emphasis.
ex: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
"Many are called, but few are chosen."

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds (often associated with euphony)
ex: "He took it. He took it while I was sleeping. Kilt it out there in the woods. Kill this one too, if he can." "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain."

Asyndeton

the lack or absence of a conjunction (and, but, yet) between parts of a sentence.
ex: "Duty, Honor, Country"

Chiasmus

repetition of ideas in inverted order
ex: "ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country."

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word, the dictionary definition

Diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words

Didactic

tone; instructional, designed to teach an ethical, moral, or religious lesson

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of sentences

Extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

Imagery

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)
(it's very descriptive)

Irony

the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts
ex: light and darkness, wealth and poverty, beauty and ugliness

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it
ex: "The crown" often used to refer to the British Monarchy.

Paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
ex: "All I know is that I know nothing"
"War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength."

Parallelism

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

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions

ex: "Who killed him?" and he said, "I don't know who killed him but he's dead all right," and it was dark and there was water standing in the street and no lights and windows broke and…

Syntax

How a sentence is arranged; structure

Ethos

appealing to credibility

Logos

Appeal to logic

Pathos

Appeal to emotion

SOAPStone

Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone

Red Herring

When a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue.