Rhetorical Analysis Terms and Definitions

allegory

a story with two (or more) levels of meaning--one literal and the other(s) symbolic

allusion

a brief reference to literature, geographical locations, historical events, legends, traditions and elements of popular culture

amplification

dramatic ordering of words to show a sort of expansion or progression: conceptual, valuative, poetic

Ex: Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that's been our unifying cry: "More light. Sunlight. Torchlight. Candlelight. Neon. Incandescent." Chris Stevens

analogy

a comparison of two things, which are alike in several aspects, for clarification and explanation; sometimes analogies establish a pattern of reasoning by using a less abstract and more familiar argument

anecdote

a story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate a point

aphorism

a brief saying embodying a moral, a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words

apology

work written to defend a writer's opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem

apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or thing or a personified abstraction, such as love or liberty; the effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity

colloquial

the use of slang or dialect in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone. Huckleberry Finn is an example

concession

to grant to be true in an argument; to yield a point

connotation

the implied or suggested meaning of a word; association

deduction

the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

diction

word choice

didactic

writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. Is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns.

dysphemism

a degenerative or less agreeable substitute for words or concepts. Making something sound worse. Ex: terrorist

ethos

Appeal based on the character of the speaker; relies on the reputation of the author.

euphemism

a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for an unpleasant word or concept. Making something sound better.

Ex: freedom fighter

form

the shape or structure of a literary work

homily

a sermon or serious talk, speech or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice

Consider MLK's—"I Have a Dream" speech

hyperbole

exaggeration for emphasis or humor

induction

the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization

inference

a conclusion one can draw from the presented details.

invective

a verbally abusive attack

logos

Appeal based on logic or reason. Documents distributed by companies or corporations

motif

the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work used to develop theme or characters.

oxymoron

a combination of contradictory words and meanings

pacing

the movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another.

pathos

the aspects of a literary work that elicits pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade.

pedantic

a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant.

rhetoric

The art of writing and speaking effectively and persuasively. Is the art of persuasion -- using language to convince or sway an audience -- or the study of that art.

syllogism

a method of presenting a logical argument. In its most basic form, consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

syntax

sentence construction. Some authors heavily use prepositional phrases, for example. Perhaps some sentences are written with a short and choppy cadence to parallel an intense action in the text.

thesis

the sentence or group of sentences that directly express a writer's opinion, purpose, idea or meaning

tone

the author's attitude toward his or her subject and toward the audience; the way the author's personality is reflected in the work

understatement

the minimalization of fact or presentation of something as less significant than it is; the opposite of hyperbole

voice

can refer to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb. The second refers to the total "sound" of a writer's style.

zeugma

use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous meanings

ex: "Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need - not as a call to battle, though embattled we are - but a call to bear the burden..."

asyndeton

deliberate omission of conjunctions to create a concise, terse and often memorable statement

loose sentence

a complex sentence in which the main clause comes first and the subordinate clause follows

periodic sentence

presents its main clauses at the end of the sentence for emphasis and sentence variety. Phrases, dependent clauses precede the main clause.