Rhetorical Devices

APENG

simile

simile

makes comparison between unlike things, suggesting an unexpected likeness whole using the words like or as

**“**In the morning, the dust hung like fog, and the sun was as red as ripe new blood.”

metaphor

compares two essentially dissimilar things, but instead of saying one thing is like another, it equates them, saying that one IS the other

**“**Suddenly the whole room broke into a sea of shouting, as they saw me rise. Waves of rejoicing swept the place.”

analogy

an extended metaphor or simile, extended over several sentences or paragraphs. help readers understand idea by comparing it to something concrete they already know

“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.”

personification

an inanimate thing is given the attributes or qualities of a human

“The sun smiled down on us.”

allusion

makes a reference to a familiar person, place, or event in literature or history

They removed parallel parking from the driving test since it was such an Achilles heel for almost every student.

rhetorical question

a question which expects no answer, attracts attention and creates interest

If Ms. Brown is fair, as you claimed, why did she refuse to listen to Mr. Park’s arguments?

quotes

repeat the exact words from a source

deductive reasonings

process in logic that involves reasoning from stated premises to the formally valid conclusion, reasoning from the general to the particular

syllogism

basic form of deduction, three-part chain of reasoning that contains a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion

Major Premise- All yellow cars are cabs.

Minor Premise- The car is yellow.

Conclusion- Therefore, it is a cab

validity

form or integrity of the syllogism, valid if its conclusion derives from correctly set up major and minor premises

truth

material contained in the syllogism

syntax

sentence structure

subordination

shows that the idea of one clause is more important than the idea of the other clause

Although smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and heart disease, millions of people continue to smoke.

coordination

ideas joined with coordinating conjunctions that suggest that neither of the joined ideas is less important than or dependent upon the other

**“**The world is very old, and human beings are very young.”

parallelism

the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures

“A government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

logos

appealing to one’s reason or logic; it often uses facts and statistics

People should wear seatbelts because they cut the risk of death by 45%.

pathos

appealing to one’s emotion or pity

You should buy this adorable puppy who loves you so much before the shelter kills it.

ethos

appealing to one’s ethics or morality, speaker establishes their knowledge and authority

This doctor--who has 3 degrees and 30 years of experience--recommends you take this medicine to fix your blood pressure.

fallacies

flawed arguments that cannot be defended logically

equivocation

occurs when you shift the meaning of a keyword within an argument

As far as I am concerned, the artistically creative people in this society should focus their creativity on the problems of poverty and hunger.

either/or fallacy

assumes that there are just two sides to a question when there are more

You’re either with us or against us.

overgeneralizing

occurs when one draws conclusions from inadequate evidence

Women are bad drivers.

post hoc

“after this, therefore because of this” because second event follows first event, second event was result of first

begging the question

occurs when an arguable premise is stated as if it were true

Children act the way they do because they are young.

argument ad

place focus on the person arguing an issue rather than the issue itself

A mother tells her child’s pediatrician that she doesn't trust his judgment because he's never been a mother.

red herring

changes the subject in order to distract the audience from an issue

Well what if I cheat on my math test? Everyone else cheats now and then.

metonymy

substitution of one term fors another that is associated with it

Saying “red coats” instead of British soldiers, “the crown” when you mean a royal family, or “Hollywood” to refer to the film industry.

symbolism

tie deeper meaning to an object

Holden’s hunting cap in The Catcher in the Rye is not just a covering for his head but symbolizes his longing for security.

alliteration

the repetition of same or similar constant sounds close together at the beginning of words

“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes; A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”

onomatopoeia

to attempt to capture the way something literally sounds

moo, buzz, honk, vroom, splash, hiss, pow

imagery

descriptive language that attempts to capture the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

The sea breeze whipped around the couple as they stood in the cooling sand, clutching each other’s hands, not minding the sweat. The sunset in front of them lit up the clouds and edged the sky with pink and gold while gulls cawed down from above.

dramatic irony

a contract between what the characters think is happening verses what the audience knows is happening

Romeo: “Juliet is dead! I cannot live!”

Audience: “SHE IS ASLEEP AND YOU ARE SO DUMB.”

situational irony

a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens

“Here comes an ambulance! It will save the biker who just got hit by a car! … Oh wait, it just ran over the biker. He’s dead.”

verbal irony

a contrast between what one says and what one means (sarcasm)

“This is my brilliant son, who has failed every math test this year.”

hyperbole

to say more than you really mean, or extremely exaggerate the situation

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”

understatement

to say less than you mean or to discount something

“Mount Everest is not small.”

parody

mockery of a specific, known person/book/movie/event

General MacArthur said “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” A parody version of the original says “old blondes never fade, they just dye away.”

antithesis

the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure

His words create a romantic and flowing feeling, but his message is often harsh.

polysyndeton

the deliberate use of many conjunctions

“We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life defending something. You use them as a punch line.”   ^ could have put “and”

asyndeton

the deliberate omission or conjunctions (ex. honor, code, loyalty)

“We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life defending something. You use them as a punch line.”   ^ could have put “and”

anaphora

the repetition of the same word or group of words at the BEGINNING of successive clauses

“So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire;

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

epistrophe

the repetition of the same word or group of words at the END of successive clauses

“If they have come for peace, take them alive; if they have come for war, take them alive.”