Rhetorical Terms Notes

Concrete / Abstract

Concrete / Abstract

• Concrete Nouns: Nouns that have physical, tangible properties.

  • Examples: Fence, Desk, Chair, Bench

• Abstract Nouns: Nouns that are conceptual and do not have physical properties.

  • Examples: Love, Truth, Beauty, Evil

  • Quote for Understanding: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won…

Rhetoric

• Definition: The technique of using language effectively and persuasively in speaking or writing.

• Key Definitions:

  • Aristotle: "The faculty of finding the available means of persuasion in a given case."

  • Joliffe & Covino: "The art of featuring content."

• Rhetorical Situation: Always analyze the text for the following:

  • Subject: The main topic.

  • Speaker: The voice or perspective of the text.

  • Audience: The intended readers or listeners.

Voice

• Definition: The unique “personality” of a text conveyed through word choices and style.

• Characteristics: A strong voice allows readers to identify the writer purely based on the text, suggesting the writer's personality is evident in their writing.

Thesis

• Definition: A statement that a writer intends to support or prove.

• Components:

  • Specifies the point being argued.

  • Provides a warrant identifying a universal truth to justify the claim.

Extended Metaphor

• Definition: An implicit comparison between two unrelated things that share common characteristics.

• Examples:

  • "My brother was boiling mad." (Implying extreme anger)

  • "The assignment was a breeze." (Implying it was easy)

  • "It is going to be clear skies from now on." (Implying a trouble-free future)

• Characteristics: Continues through several sentences/paragraphs or lines in a poem.

Connotation / Denotation

Connotation / Denotation

• Denotation: The strict dictionary definition of a word.

  • Example: "Cheap" means "at or for a low price."

• Connotation: The subtle, implied meanings or associations of a word.

  • Example: Calling something "cheap" may offend, while "inexpensive" sounds better. "Affordable" is another positive alternative.

Conflict

• Definition: A struggle between opposing forces within a text.

• Importance: Conflict drives the narrative forward and is essential for storytelling.

• Absence of Conflict: Without conflict, there is no story.

Propaganda

• Definition: The dissemination of rumors, false or correct information, or ideas to influence public opinion.

• Modern Example: Political memes on the Internet are often forms of propaganda.

• Relation to Rhetorical Appeals: Information that appeals primarily to Pathos, without Ethos or Logos, can be categorized as propaganda.

Aristotleian Triangle

• Definition: A representation of Aristotle's idea that communication involves three critical elements: speaker, subject, and audience.

• Components: This triangle embodies the concepts of ETHOS (credibility), PATHOS (emotional appeal), and LOGOS (logical reasoning).

• Often referred to as the Rhetorical Situation.

Audience

• Role: One of the three elements of the Aristotleian Triangle.

• Importance in Communication: The effectiveness of a speech or text depends heavily on understanding the audience.

  • Choices in writing should be influenced by audience characteristics.

• Connection to Pathos: The emotional appeal (PATHOS) is closely tied to the audience's demographics, values, and perceptions.

Speaker

• Definition: One-third of the Rhetorical Triangle; refers to the individual delivering a speech or writing a text.

• Literary Aspect: In literature, the speaker is the created voice in narration.

• Characteristics:

  • Must appeal to the audience (ETHOS).

  • Should be knowledgeable about the subject matter.

Analogy

• Definition: A comparison between two dissimilar things to clarify or explain an idea.

• Purpose: Aims to make complex ideas more relatable to the audience by drawing parallels with familiar concepts.

• Examples: Metaphors and similes are common forms of analogy.

  • Example: "The structure of an atom is like a solar system. The nucleus is the sun and electrons are the planets revolving around the sun."

Point of view

• Definition: The narrative perspective through which a story is told.

• Types:

  • 1st Person: Uses "I" or "we"

  • 2nd Person: Uses "you"

  • 3rd Person: Uses "he," "she," or "they"

• Significance: Influences reader engagement and proximity to the narrative events.

Anecdote

• Definition: A brief and engaging story or event, often humorous, used to illustrate a point.

• Purpose: Enhances the narrative by making it relatable or entertaining.

• Examples in Comedy: Comedians often include anecdotes in their routines, such as those used by Marc Maron and John Mulaney.

Mood / Atmosphere

• Definition: The emotional setting created by a text, which influences how readers feel.

• Components: Shaped by word choice, descriptions, and narrative structure.

• Difference from Tone:

  • Tone: Reflects the author's attitude towards the subject.

  • Mood: Represents the emotional response of the reader to the text.

Persona

• Definition: The voice or character assumed by the writer to convey their message.

• Literary Style: Poets and writers create personas to express thoughts and feelings while providing some distance from the subject.

• Comparison: The relationship between the persona and the writer is akin to that between an actor and their character in a play.

Allegory

• Definition: A narrative in which abstract ideas or principles are represented through characters, figures, and events.

• Example: George Orwell's "Animal Farm," which uses animals to symbolize aspects of Russian society and critique the Russian Revolution.

• Purpose: Clarifies complex social and political commentary through a more accessible narrative form

SYNECDOCHE

A literary device in which a part of something represents the whole.

For instance, when someone says, “Who’s got wheels?” when they mean car is an example of synecdoche.

Saying “boots on the ground” means soldiers, not just the boots alone.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. The common oxymoron phrase is a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun with contrasting meanings, e.g. “cruel kindness” or “living death”.

•Open secret

•Tragic comedy

•Seriously funny

•Awfully pretty

•Foolish wisdom

•Original copies

•Liquid gas

Motif

An object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work.

Motif is different than theme in that, in a literary piece, a motif is a recurrent image, idea or a symbol that, in a pattern, develops or explains a theme while a theme is a central idea or message.

Motif is different than symbols in that symbols are images, ideas, sounds or words that represent something else and help to understand an idea or a thing. Motifs, on the other hand, are images, ideas, sounds or words that help to explain the central idea of a literary work i.e. theme. Moreover, a symbol may appear once or twice in a literary work, whereas a motif is a recurring element.

ONOMATOPOEIA

A word that imitates the natural sound of a thing.

For example, the word “whisper” can be considered an onomatopoeia as the soft sound of the word mimics the sound of the action itself.

Trope

A trope is any word used in a figurative sense (i.e., a figure of speech) or a reoccurring theme or device in a work of literature. The first definition of trope can refer to numerous types of figures of speech. The second definition of trope can be slightly derogatory in that a reoccurring theme in a certain genre can become cliché, and thus stale and overused. In this sense, a trope is similar to a convention of a genre, such as the common theme of a “dark lord” in the genre of fantasy or the appearance of a literal ticking bomb in an action or adventure story.