Rhetorical Analysis Words

Ethos

Appeals to credibility or authority

Pathos

Appeals to emotion

Logos

Appeals to logic and reasoning

Diction

The author's word choice

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses

Juxtaposition

Placing contrasting ideas side by side

Metaphor

Comparing two things without “like” or “as”

Simile

Comparing two things using “like” or “as”

Personification

Giving human qualities to something nonhuman

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality or between literal and intended meaning

Repetition

Repeating words or phrases for emphasis

Anaphora

Repeating words at the beginning of successive clauses

Allusion

Referring to a recognizable person, event, or text

Rhetorical question

Asking a question to make a point rather than receive an answer

Syntax

sentence structure.

Tone

the author's attitude.

Parallelism

repeating a similar grammatical structure.

Antithesis

contrasting opposing ideas in a balanced structure.

Anecdote

a short story used to illustrate a point.

Concession

acknowledging an opposing argument.

Alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Symbolism

using something concrete to represent a larger idea.