AP Rhetorical Devices List

anecdote

a brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature

perspective

a character’s view of the situation or events in the story

aphorism

a concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief.

• the writings of benjamin franklin contain many aphorisms, such as “Early to bed and early to rise/Make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

contradiction

a direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency

apostrophe

a figure of speech in which a person, thing, or abstract quality, is addressed as if present

• for example, the invocation to the muses usually found in epic poetry

oxymoron

a figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements

• “jumbo shrimp” or “deafening silence”

allusion

a figure of speech which makes a brief, even casual reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object to create a resonance in the reader or to apply a symbolic meaning to the character or object of which the allusion consists

• in john steinbeck’s of mice and men, the surname of the protagonist, george milton, is an allusion to john milton, author of paradise lost, since by the end of the novel, george has lost the dream of having a little ranch of his own to share w/ his friend lennie

syllogism

a form of deduction. an extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument

satire

a literary style used to make fun or ridicule an idea or human vice or weakness

bildungsroman

a novel or story whose theme is the moral or psychological growth of the main character

devices

a particular word pattern or combination of words used in a literary work to evoke a desired effect or arouse a desired reaction in the reader

foil

a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast

epistolary

a piece of literature contained in or carried on by letters

epitaph

a piece of writing in praise of a deceased person

parody

a satirical imitation of a work of art for purpose of ridiculing its style or subject

delayed sentence

a sentence that withholds its main until the end

• just as he bent to tie his shoe, a car hit him

sarcasm

a sharp caustic remark. a form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually bitterly or harshly critical.

• a coach saying to a player who misses the ball, “nice catch”

expletive

a single word or short phrase intended to emphasize surrounding words. commonly expletives are set off by commas

• in fact, or course, after all, certainly

irony

a situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant. irony is often humorous, and can be sarcastic when using words to imply the opposite of what they normally mean

eulogy

a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing; an oration in honor of a deceased person

paradox

a statement that seems contradictory, but is actually true

epiphany

a sudden or intuitive insight or perception into the reality or essential meaning of something usually brought on by a simple or common occurrence or experience

onomatopoeia

a word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes

• buzz or hiss

diction

an author’s choice of words to convey a tone or effect

utopia

an imaginary place of ideal perfection. the opposite of a dystopia—an imaginary place where people live dehumanized, often fearful lives

hyperbole

an overstatement characterized by exaggerated language

deus ex machina

as in greek theater, use of an artificial device or contrived solution to solve a difficult situation, usually introduced suddenly and unexpectedly

antagonist

character or force in a literary work that opposes the main character, or protagonist

analogy

comparison of two things that are alike in some respects.

• metaphors and similes

inductive

conclusion or type of reasoning whereby observation or information about a part of a class is applies to the class as a whole. contrast w/ deductive

nostalgia

desire to return in thought or fact to a former time