AP Lang Rhetorical Strategies

Diction

Why an author’s choice of words is effective for a situation

Denotation vs. Connotation

Denotation: A word’s primary or literal significance

Connotation: The vast range of other meanings that a word suggests

ex. Home and house have the same denotation, but home connotes intimacy and coziness, while house does not.

Determines which connotations may be appropriate for a word

Context

Syntax

The ordering of words in a sentence (sentence structure). Refers to the arrangement of words and phrases to achieve a desired effect in rhetorical strategies.

Imagery

When an author uses vivid or metaphorical language to create a mental image that helps readers visualize what's being described.

ex. Metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia

Hyperbole

Overstatement or exaggeration. The use of figurative language that significantly exaggerates the facts for effect.

Understatement

Figurative language that presents the facts in a way that makes them appear much less significant than they really are. Often used for comic effect.

Symbolism

Uses a concrete object to represent an abstract idea.

Personification

Inanimate objects or concepts are given the thoughts, feelings, or actions of a human. Can enhance our emotional response because we usually attribute more emotional significance to other humans than to things or concepts.

Anthropomorphism

Occurs when non-human objects are given the physical shape of a human

ex. The legs of a table, the face of a clock, the arms of a tree

Circumlocution

Form of communication in which the speaker's meaning is not directly expressed but implied, often through metaphors or other forms of figurative language.

Euphemism

A word or phrase used to avoid employing an unpleasant or offensive term.

Paradox

Contains two elements which cannot both be true at the same time

ex. The Cretan Liar Paradox, attributed to a 6th-century BCS philosopher from Crete, stating that, “All Cretans are liars.”

Rhetorical Question

A question with an obvious answer. Attempts to prove something without actually presenting an argument, and is sometimes used as a form of irony.

Irony

A figure of speech in which words are used to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.

Verbal Irony

Stating something but meaning the opposite of what is stated. The audience can anticipate the dialogue or specific language used in a text, and the author may use a common saying, situation, or emotional experience to build up the audience’s expectation. Sarcasm is a type of verbal irony.

Situational Irony

A circumstance or situation that runs contrary to what was expected.

ex. Suppose you live in Seattle during the rainy season and plan a vacation to sunny Phoenix. While you are in Phoenix, it rains every day there, but it is sunny the entire week in Seattle.

Dramatic Irony

Ocurs when the audience knows something that the characters do not, creating suspense or tension.

Satire

A social or political criticism that relies heavily on irony, sarcasm, and often humor.

Something is portrayed in a way that’s deliberately distorted to achieve comic effect. Often, an author’s attempt to critique what is being mocked.

ex. Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal”

Parody

Imitation for comic effect

eg. Spoof movies that imitate a genre

Lampoon

Sharp ridicule of the behavior or character of a person or institution

eg. Political attacks using inflammatory language and ridicule

Caricature

A ludicrous exaggeration of the defects of persons or things

eg. Political cartoons that exaggerate a politician's features

Style

The general manner of expression used in a text.

ex. Pedantic, scientific, emotive

Tone

The speaker’s attitude toward the subject.

ex. Optimistic, ironic, playful

Mood

How the text makes the audience feel.

ex. Stressed, anxious, defensive

Rhetorical Appeals

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Ethos (Appeal to Ethics)

Establishes credibility, authority, or morality

ex. citing expertise or shared ethical values

Pathos (Appeal to Emotion)

Evokes emotion

ex. anecdotes, imagery, charged language

Logos (Appeal to Logic)

Emphasizes logical reasoning

ex. statistics, facts, clear arguments

Analogy

A comparison between two things based on their structure

ex. "The movie was a roller coaster of emotions"