Rhetorical Devices & Appeals

anaphora

the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs. (ex. “I want to live. I want to love. I want to be free”)

epizeuxis

repeating a word immediately in the same context (ex. “alas, alas” or “The horror! The horror!”)

double entendre

a phrase that has two meanings, with one usually lewd or explicit (ex. “I woo’d thee with my sword”)

tricolon

a figure of speech comprised of three clearly defined parts (ex. “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”)

double epithet

two words of identical or almost identical meaning joined by a conjunction (ex. “foul and pestilent”)

diacope

a word or phrase is repeated after a brief interruption (ex. “Run, Toto—run!” or “Bond. James Bond.”)

logos

appeal to logic

ethos

appeal to credibility

pathos

appeal to emotion