rhetoric vocab

allusion

a direct or indirect reference contained in a work that is presumably commonly known, such as an event, a book, myth, place, or work of art -- historical, literary, religious, or mythical

analogy

a comparison between two different things in order to highlight some point of similarity -- often used as a form of reasoning in which one thing is compared/contrasted with another -- like an argument

anecdote

a story told by author to illustrate a point

connotation

images rather than literal meaning -- figurative language, may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes

colloquialism

slang or informality in speech or writing

denotation

the literal definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

dialogue

conversation between 2 or more people

diction

the author's choice of words that creates tone, attitude, style, and meaning -- formal, informal, ornate, or plain

imagery

effect of sensory images in literature

juxtaposition

placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side, especially for comparison and contrast

parallelism

the repetition of similar or equivalent syntactical constructions (words, phrases, clauses, or an entire sentence) often for rhetorical effect

point of view

the method of narration in a literary work -- omniscient (has godlike knowledge) or limited (knows thoughts of one and actions of the rest)

repetition

duplication of language

rhetorical question

any question asked for a purpose other than to obtain information the question asks

structure

the organization and form of a literary work

symbolism

an object, action, character, or scene that represents something more abstract

syntax

the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences

theme

the central idea or message of a work or the insight it offers into life

tone

the author's attitude toward their subject or material, audience, or both

figurative language

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds

assonance

repetition of words beginning with vowels

metonymy

name of one object replaced with one closely associated with it

onomatopoeia

sound of words

synecdoche

identifying something by a part or piece of it -- "nice wheels" not "nice car"

rhetoric

the entire process of written communication between a writer and reader

syllogism

deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises -- method of presenting a logical argument

exigence

what causes a writer to write their piece of work