Studied by 206 peopleaudience
the person(s) reaches by a piece of writing
attitude
a writer’s intellectual position or emotion regarding the subject of the writing
tone
the attitude a literary work/author takes towards its subject, audience, and or theme. without it, a piece of literature would evoke no emotion and may seem very dull.
diction
an author’s choice of words to convey a tone or effect
ethos
the ethical appeal; to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character
logos
the appeal to logic; to convince an audience by use of logic or reason
pathos
the appeal to emotion; to persuade an audience by appealing to their emotions
fallacy
a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument
ad hominem argument
from the Latin meaning “to or against the man” this is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect, falls under the umbrella of a fallacy
infer
to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
connotation
the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning, which may involve ideas, emotion, or attitudes
denotation
the dictionary definition of a word; the direct and specific meaning
apostrophe
a figure of speech in which a person, thing, or abstract quality is addressed as if present
imagery
sensory details in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object. it involves any or all of the five senses.
deductive
reasoning from the general to the specifc
inductive
reasoning from the specific to the general
structure
the framework or organization of a literary selection
synthesis
the joining of two or more ideas or arguments to produce a new idea or argument
warrant
connection, often unstated and assumed, between the supporting reason(s). the assumption will make the claim seem plausible. audience needs to share the writers’/speakers’ assumptions or the argument will not be effect.
syntax
the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentances
symbolism
generally, anything that represents, stands for, something else. usually, this is concrete (an object, character, or scene) and represents something much more abstract
mood
the feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator’s attitude and point of view. The effect is created through description of feelings or object that establishes a particular feeling such as gloom, fear, or hope
atmosphere
the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described
abstract
not related to the concrete properties of an object; pertaining to ideas, concepts, or qualities, as opposed to physical attributes
ambiguity
use of language in which multiple meanings are possible; the quality of being open to more than one interpretation
persona
the voice or figure of the author who tells the story and who may or may not share the values of the actual author
rhetoric
the art of persuasion, using language purposefully, in order to get something done; the use of spoken or written word to convey ideas and convince an audience
rhetorical situation
the context or set of circumstances out of which a text arises. It can be described in five parts: audience, author (rhetor), purpose, context, content/topic
rhetorical analysis
this considers all elements of the rhetorical situation in which a text was generated and delivered in order to make an argument about the text; including the evaluation of the text and its effectiveness
rhetorical mode
these are ways of using language with a specific focus. some examples are narration, description, definition, division/classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, etc.
prose
the ordinary of form of written language without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse
colloquial
informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing
sarcasm
a sharp, caustic remark. A form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually bitterly or harshly critical. For example, a coach saying to a player who misses the ball, “nice catch”
satire
a literary style used to make fun of or ridicule an idea or human vice or weakness
motif
recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event
metaphor
a comparison of two unlike things that have something in common but not using “like” or “as”
simile
a comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words “like” or “as”. it is a definitely stated comparison which says one thing is like another
catharsis
purification or cleansing of the spirit through the emotions of pity and terror as a witness to a tragedy
cliche
an expression or idea that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty
irony
verbal, dramatic, and situational- a situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant. this is frequently humorous, and can be sarcastic when using words to imply the opposite of what they normally mean.
paradox
occurs when the elements of a statement contradict each other. Although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth
juxtaposition
placing of two items side by side to create a certain effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose.
oxymoron
a figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory terms into a single unusual expression, as in “jumbo shrimp” or “deafening silence.”
allegory
the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.
allusion
a direct or indirect reference to something that is presumable commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art (not to be mistaken for illusion
epigraph
quote set at the beginning of a literary work or at its divisions to set the tone or suggest a theme
elegiac
expressing sorrow often for something past; sorrowful
contradiction
a direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency
understatement
the opposite of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is
hyperbole
an overstatement characterized by exaggerated language. e.g., “The shot heard ‘round the world.”
metonymy
A term from the Greek meaning “changed label” or “substitute name,” this is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that or another closely associated with it. A news release that claims “the White House declared” rather than “the President declared” is using this.
antithesis
the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses. Example
epiphany
a sudden or intuitive insight or perception into the reality or essential meaning of something usually brought on by a simple or common occurrence or experience
anecdote
a brief story or tale (not to be confused with antidote
pun
a play on words that are either identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse meanings. they may have serious as well as humorous uses. When Mercutio is bleeding to death in Romeo and Juliet, he says to his friends, “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.”
wit
In modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. This usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement.
didactic
intended for teaching or to teach a moral lesson
syllogism
a form of deductive reasoning; an extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument; a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion (as in “every virtue is laudable; kindness is a virtue; therefore kindness is laudable”)
invective
the use of angry or insulting language in satirical writing
euphemism
substitution of a milder or less direct expression for one that is harsh or blunt. For example, using “passed away” for “dead.”
anachronism
Use of historically inaccurate details in a text; for example, depicting a 19th-century character using a computer. Some authors employ these for humorous effect, and some genres, such as science fiction or fantasy, make extensive use of these.
parallelism
the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. For example, “I have always searched for, but never found the perfect painting for the wall.”
parody
a writing which imitates another serious piece and pokes fun at the original
propaganda
information or rumor deliberately spread to help or harm a person, group, or institution
analogy
a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar.
aphorism
An original concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief. The writing of Benjamin Franklin contains many of these, such as “Early to bed and early to rise/ Make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
genre
term used to describe literary forms, such as tragedy, comedy, novel, or essay
eulogy
a speech or writing in praise of a deceased person or thing
repetition
a device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once to enhance rhythm and create emphasis
alliteration
the repetition of initial consonant sounds within a formal grouping, such as a poetic line or stanza, or in close proximity in prose. e.g., "The twisting trout twinkled below."
integrity
holding firmly to values such as honesty; completeness; moral uprightness
daft
silly, foolish
imprudent
careless; rash; not attentive to consequence
impudent
rude; disrespectful
prodigal
wasteful; lavish
acclaim
to express strong approval or praise; hail
denunciation
a proclamation or expression of strong disapproval made openly or publicly
circumspect
careful, thought through; considerate of all that is pertinent
squalid
dirty or wretched in appearance
compunction
a feeling of remorse for doing something wrong; regret; shame
implausible
not having the appearance of truth or reason
titillate
to excite or intrigue
precocious
having or showing much more ability or knowledge than is usual at such a young age
satiate
to satisfy an appetite fully
enigma
something or someone puzzling, mysterious, inexplicable, a baffling situation, something obscure
diatribe
a denunciation, a abusive, bitter, or biting speech
conciliatory
eager to make peace
decorum
propriety; whatever is proper
bombastic
using language in a pompous, showy way; speaking to impress others
archaic
old; from a much earlier time
insatiable
incapable of being satisfied or fulfilled, extremely greedy
raucous
boisterous, harsh sounding, noisy and disorderly
ingratiate
bring oneself into favor with someone by flattering or trying to please them
condescending
voluntarily having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority
rancorous
deeply hateful or spiteful; malicious; sealed resentment
astute
sharp-minded; very cleaver; shrewd with regards to one’s own interests
atrophy
to waste away
loquacious
very talkative; liking to talk; garrulous (can have both positive and negative connotations)
blasphemous
profane; irreverent
lechery
sexual sin; lust
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