The Language of Composition Chapter 1 and 2

Audience

The listener, viewer, reader, of a text. ( He asked his mom if he could borrow the car. The audience is his mom )

Concession

An acknowledgment of an opposing argument that may be true or reasonable. ( The democrats think that we should raise taxes on the rich, and that may be true.)

connotation

Meanings or associations that readers may have with a word that goes beyond its definition. ( The connotation of the word gossip in The Scarlet letter alludes to pettiness and frivolity.)

context

The circumstance that surrounds a text ( The context of him asking his mom to borrow the car was not a good one, since he had just gotten a speeding ticket.)

counterargument

An opposing argument to the argument that the author is presenting. ( The author says apples are the best fruit, the counterargument is in support of bananas. )

ethos

Credibility and trustworthiness ( She built credibility with the school board through her extensive volunteering in the community. )

logos

reason, rational ideas, a clear argument and empirical evidence. ( She used statistics and charts in the visual rhetoric to appeal to logos.)

occasion

The time and place a speech or a text is given or written.( the occasion of the toast was at his best friend's wedding)

pathos

An appeal to emotions, desires, and values. ( She appealed to their pathos by mentioning puppies and children. )

persona

The face or character that the speaker shows to their audience. ( He was not a very passionate person but he presented a persona to the audience that was passionate to appeal to pathos. )

polemic

an aggressive argument that tries to establish superiority ( An example of this type of argument is Donald Trump's entire campaign.)

propaganda

The spread of ideas or information to support a cause. Negatively, it can use rumors, disinformation, and scare tactics.( Hitler used propaganda against the Jews to rally Germans to the Nazi cause.)

purpose

the goal the speaker wants to achieve. ( His goal as the speaker was to get his parents to allow him to use the car.)

refutation

denial of the validity of an opposing argument ( Hillary refutes Trump's argument by pointing out blatant racism.)

rhetoric

observing the means of persuasion ( Hillary uses a feminist rhetoric to gain support. )

rhetorical appeals

techniques used to persuade and audience based on what they find important or compelling. ( Hillary's feminist appeal is a rhetorical technique.)

rhetorical triangle

a diagram that shows the relationship between, audience, speaker, and subject ( the triangle of Hillary's campaign is her, the speaker, the world, the audience, and the presidential position, the subject.

SOAPS

Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Speaker ( JFK's speech is on the subject of his inauguration , on the occasion of his inauguration., the audience is the world, the purpose is to rally and unite the american people while affirming them that he will also be a strong leader, and the speaker is JFK.

speaker

the person or group who creates a speech or a text. (the speaker in JFK's inauguration is JFK)

text

any product that can be read or analyzed ( JFK's speech)

alliteration

repetition of the same sound beginning with several words that start with the same syllable. ( somewhat silly)

allusion

brief reference to a person event or place ( The father of our country...)

anaphora

repetition of a word or a phrase . ( using the phrase "I am, at the beginning of sentences over and over again.)

antimetabole

repetition of words in reverse order ( I am. Am I?)

antithesis

opposition or contrast of ideas in a parallel construction.

archaic diction

old fashioned or outdated choice of words ( forefathers)

asyndeton

conjunctions—such as and, but, and or—between words, phrases, or clauses are intentionally omitted

cumulative sentence

sentence that completes the main idea at the beggining of the sentence and then adds on

hortative sentence

a call to action (You should come with us if you believe in justice)

imperative sentence

a command ( Come with us)

juxtaposition

placement of two things closely together to emphasize differences (there was a rainbow over the funeral.)

metaphor

figure of speech that compares two things without using like or as ( she was a willow tree)

oxymoron

paradoxical juxtaposition of words that seem to contradict each other. ( he was cold in the summer)

paralellism

similar structure in a pair or series of related words

period sentence

sentence whose main clause is withheld

personification

attribution of a lifelike characteristic to an inanimate object or animal. (the clock ticked at me angrily)

rhetorical question

figure of speech in the form of a question ( Why would anyone do that?)

synedoche

figure of speech that sues a part to represent a whole

zeugma

use of two different words in a grammatically similar way.