Unit 2: Basic Rhetorical Modes (copy)

Rhetorical Modes

Ways of using language intended to have an effect on the audience.

Classification

A method of organizing information into meaningful groups, essential for analysis and explanation.

Discrete and Continuous Categories

Aristotle's division of quantity into two categories used to simplify complex ideas.

Central Idea (Thesis)

The main point or argument that all categorized information should support.

Overlapping Categories

Categories that share elements, which should be avoided for clarity in classification.

Effective Examples

Examples that are relevant and convincing to support an argument or point.

Transition Phrases

Phrases like 'for example' or 'consider the case of' that introduce examples.

Quality vs. Quantity of Examples

Focusing on well-chosen and relevant examples over a large number of poorly chosen ones.

Analogy

A literary device that compares two different things to explain or clarify a difficult concept.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

A philosophical analogy illustrating how humans only see shadows of reality, not the truth.