Vocab for Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetoric

Rhetoric

effective or persuasive communication

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or lines

ex: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair

Antithesis

opposition, or a contrast of ideas or words in a balanced & parallel construction

\n “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

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Asyndeton

lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words

\n He tried to betray you, to cheat you, to deceive you.

"I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive. I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise."

Metaphor

implied comparison of two objects that have nothing in common

MLK: “[The Emancipation Proclamation] came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.”

Climax

an arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power.

\n “Beauty is but a vain and doubtful good;

A shining gloss that vadeth suddenly;

A flower that dies when first it gins to bud;

A brittle glass that’s broken presently:

A doubtful good, a gloss, a glass, a flower,

Lost, vaded, broken, dead within an hour.”

Alliteration

repetition of the beginning consonant of several words in a sentence

\n “Rise from the dark and desolate”

“the marvelous new militancy”

“trials and tribulations”

Allusion

phrase or segment that refers to another work of art, noted person, or historical document

\n “Five score years ago, a great American…signed the Emancipation Proclamation.”

Call to Arms

invitation, or appeal to undertake a particular course of action

\n “The war is inevitable—and let it come!”

A speech by Patrick Henry March 1775

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Ethos

ethics or credibility; a trusted source of information

\n "As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best results."

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Logos

Logic; based on factual evidence, to make sense, follows a believable order

\n "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: we have not only the fingerprints, the lack of an alibi, a clear motive, and an expressed desire to commit the robbery… We also have video of the suspect breaking in. The case could not be more open and shut."

Pathos

emotion; to appeal to human emotions

"If we don’t move soon, we’re all going to die! Can’t you see how dangerous it would be to stay?"

Amplification

writer makes a point twice in a row, with greater emphasis, details, or explanation the second time—thus, amplifying it.

\n “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’”

Litotes

Using understatement, along with a double negative

→ draws our attention in

\n “I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations.”

Parallelism

(A.K.A. parallel phrasing) the arrangement of words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures placed side by side, making them similar in form

“We will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together…”

Antimetabole

A figure of speech in which words or clauses from the first half of a sentence are repeated in the second half of the sentence in reverse order.

“You stood up for America, now America must stand up for you.”