Rhetorical Analysis Vocabulary - Week 3

Analysis

the separating of material into its constituent elements and determining its essential features and their relations

Argumentation

the act of using reasoning to justify claims

Syllogism

a logical argument in which a conclusion is inferred from two premises; form of deductive reasoning

Chiasmus

a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical construction, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form

Ellipsis

omission of one or more words for conciseness and effect

Asyndeton

omission of conjunction before the last item in a series

Allegory

a story in which things and people represent something entirely other - and idea or as philosophy

Simple Sentence

subject-verb

Compound Sentence

two independent clauses joined by a conjunction

Complex Sentence

independent clause and dependent clause

Antecedent

a word, phrase, clause, or sentence, to which another word (especially a pronoun) refers

Nostalgia

a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past

Enumeration

the listing of things; to list one things after another in prose

Dichotomy

a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different

Hypophora

asking a question and then answering that same question

Rebuttal

merely a response to the counterargument, advancing your side of an issue

Refutation

to use evidence to prove a counterargument is wrong

Concession

acknowledging other points of view

Message

the subject matter of a work or rhetoric

Exigence

the provocation (or reason) to make the argument or work of rhetoric

Purpose

what writer or speaker hoped to achieve by writing or giving a speech

Audience

awareness of the specific, intended audience of a work of rhetoric

Context

the time, place, occasion, or other relevant contextual information about the moment of the work of rhetoric

Writer/Speaker

our awareness of how the writer or speaker’s perceptions, or perspective, governs the text