Rhetorical Devices and Analysis

Vocabulary flashcards defining common rhetorical devices, examples, and analysis goals based on the lecture notes.

Alliteration

Repetition of the initial consonant sounds beginning several words in sequence (e.g., "… Lead the land we love.").

Allusion

A short, informal reference to a famous person or event (e.g., "Plan ahead; It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark," - Richard Cushing).

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or a phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines (e.g., "we shall…, we shall…, we must…").

Anecdote

A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event, most frequently referring to an incident in the life of a person.

Antithesis

Opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction (e.g., "Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more" - Shakespeare).

Apostrophe

A turn from the general audience to address a specific group or person or personified abstraction absent or present.

Colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational or familiar tone (e.g., "y'all").

Diction

Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. It refers specifically to individual words.

Epistrophe

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

Euphemism

The substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant (e.g., "The lights are out but no one's home").

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect (e.g., "I nearly died laughing").

Imagery

Visual symbolism, or figurative language that evokes a mental image or other kinds of sense impressions.

Irony

Expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning, where the words say one thing but mean another (e.g., "Silence is very reassuring." - Monsters Inc.).

Metaphor

Implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words; the word is used not in its literal sense but in an analogical one.

Oxymoron

Apparent paradox achieved by the juxtaposition of words which seem to contradict one another (e.g., "Cruel only to be kind" - Shakespeare).

Paradox

An assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it (e.g., "Youth is wasted on the young.").

Parallelism

Grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity (e.g., "Best of times, worst of times" - Charles Dickens).

Repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.

Simile

An explicit comparison between two things using 'like' or 'as' (e.g., "Reason is to faith as the eye…").

Syntax

The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Differentiated from diction because syntax refers to two groups of words, while diction refers to individual words.

Goal of Rhetorical Analysis

To identify rhetorical devices in reading and, most importantly, connect them to the author or speaker's overall purpose.