Ap Lang quiz

Ethos

the ethical appeal, means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character.

Pathos

 the emotional appeal, means to persuade an audience by appealing to emotions.

Logos

 the appeal to logic, means to convince an audience by use of logic or reason.

Anecdote

Definition: A brief story within a piece of writing, which contributes to the main idea.

Example: In a passage about courage, the writer or speaker includes an anecdote about how she overcame her fear of the dark.

Allusion

Definition: Mentioning or referring to something outside the work or the passage-- another work of literature, an historical event, a myth, a famous historical person, god or goddess, the Bible, etc. as a means of illustration or meaning. Frederick Douglass alludes to the Bible and the persecution of the Jews by Pharaoh in order to enrich his discussion of the suffering of the enslaved.

Aphorism

An aphorism is a brief statement of belief or truth or advice. “Work hard and you will succeed.” “Stay foolish. Stay Happy” (Steve Jobs– Stanford graduation speech). These aphoristic phrases are often short and to the point, standing out on the page.

Comparison

Definition: Comparing different ideas and showing how they are alike, or how they are different.

Example: In a passage, the author compares the qualities of the city and country as a way of reflecting the conflict between values.

Complexity or Nuance

While not technically a “device,” these are words used in the A.P. prompts and rubrics. Questions about the writer’s complex attitude or nuanced interpretation of a situation are not uncommon. Acknowledging complexity, according to the essay rubric, is a marker of “sophistication” in your analysis.

Contrast

Definition: When a writer points out differences by placing ideas, characters, images, language, settings, etc. in opposition in order to reveal difference, tension, complexity, etc.

The writer presents the warmth and bright light of the cafe in stark contrast to the dark, snowy streets outside, suggesting….

The writer contrasts images of abundance and contentment with images of scarcity and suffering.

Dialogue

Definition: When two or more characters have a conversation, usually shown by using quotation marks. 

Example: “ Martha, it is I!” said Deborah. “Ahh, Deborah! it’s so good to see you!” exclaimed Martha.

Even from this initial exchange, the dialogue reveals Martha and Deborah’s excitement about....

When a character calls out to someone not present: apostrophe.

Example: “O Douglass, if only you were alive now to return and assist us in our struggle!”

Diction

Definition: Word choice - the individual words that stand out and create the tone or mood and meaning of the piece. 

Example: When the writer uses diction such as “angry,” “hollow,” and “bitter,” she gives a clear picture of her opinion about the nation’s moral failings. 

You should always try to provide examples of patterns of diction, for instance, multiple examples of specific words that reflect a common quality of a character, tone, argument, etc.

Exigence

In rhetoric, exigence is an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak. The term exigence comes from the Latin word for "demand." What is it that “demanded” this speech or piece of writing?

The exigence of a eulogy (a speech commemorating someone who has recently died), is that person’s recent death. Often a writer is responding to political unrest, the failings of society, the need for x, y, or z (based on something he or she has read, experienced, etc.).

The exigence is why the writer or speaker is writing-- what has given rise to the work.

Figurative language

(metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc.) This is a useful “umbrella term” and it is a good choice in that it allows examples of many different techniques and helps a writer avoid getting stuck focusing on, for instance, a single “simile” in the passage when there are also examples of metaphor, etc. that function similarly.

Definition: language that is not literal (it exaggerates or compares things). 

Example: In the night the skies had wept, as if  in sympathy with little Adele, who, only the day before, had found her doll smashed to smithereens upon the pavers.

Figurative language

(metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc.) This is a useful “umbrella term” and it is a good choice in that it allows examples of many different techniques and helps a writer avoid getting stuck focusing on, for instance, a single “simile” in the passage when there are also examples of metaphor, etc. that function similarly.

Definition: language that is not literal (it exaggerates or compares things). 

Example: In the night the skies had wept, as if  in sympathy with little Adele, who, only the day before, had found her doll smashed to smithereens upon the pavers.

Metaphor

Definition: Comparing two things without using words such as: like and as.

Example: Her smile is the sun.

Line of reasoning

 In the essay instructions, you will be asked to consider the writer or speaker’s “line of reasoning,” or how the writer guides us through the text from beginning to end. How does the writer begin? Where does the writer take us next? Where are there shifts in subject, in use of rhetorical or literary strategies, and in tone? How is the argument developed as the piece progresses?

Simile

Definition: Comparing two things and using words such as like and as.

Example: Her smile is bright, like the sun. Or as bright as the sun.

Hyperbole

Definition: deliberate exaggeration for effect.

Example: I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition occurs when two things are placed side by side for comparison, often to highlight the contrast between the elements. 

The writer juxtaposes descriptions of heaven and hell.

The writer juxtaposes a paragraph on the struggles of his youth with one on his later successes.

Listing

Definition: When the writer gives us examples in a series to add emphasis, reveal meaning, etc.

The narrator lists the many positive attributes of political reform, including a, b, and c., which together suggest his passion about the need for change in the country.

Narrative point of view

Definition: Any of several vantage points from which an argument is made. The point of view

Structure

Definition: the arrangement of and relationship between the parts of a passage. How a work (or passage, or speech) is arranged. In particular, you might point out contrasts, or how the piece shifts as it proceeds (in mood, tone, setting, focus, argument). Most simply, you have a beginning, middle, and end to examine and what is revealed in each of these places. What different parts of the argument can you identify? How does the writer build the argument from one section of the writing to the next?

Syntax

 (the lengths, arrangements of words and phrases, and kinds of sentences and their effect-- simple, compound, complex, short, long, etc.); the “structure” of sentences rather than of the work as a whole.

If a work has varied syntax, the long, complicated (complex) sentences might reflect the writer’s confusion or passion. The short, two-word sentences might emphasize her anger or resolve. The repeated placement of the word “damned” at the end of sentences gives the speaker’s depression added force, etc. 

In most cases, you should be writing about the “varied syntax” and how it is significant in relaying meaning (something about the speaker, audience, or purpose). 

You should not write phrases such as “The short syntax shows...” This does not make sense. Instead, you might write that the “syntax is characterized most emphatically by the writer’s use or repeated short sentences,” or “the short, abrupt sentences are the most dominant syntactic feature in the passage. These short statements, including “X,” “Y,” and “Z,” emphasize the ____ of the writer’s purpose that/argument for, etc..” 

Crossing parallelism (Chiasmus) 

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” (JFK)

Anaphora

A kind of repetition when the first words in adjacent sentences are repeated.

“We went to the river. We went to the mountain. We went through the field.”