AP Lang Rhetorical Choices

alliteration

The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables, as in "on scrolls of silver snowy sentences" (Hart Crane). Modern ____ is predominantly consonantal; certain literary traditions, such as Old English verse, also alliterate using vowel sounds.

allusion

in art, when one text refers to another
Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting, The Last Supper, is an allusion to the biblical story of Jesus sharing his last meal with his disciples before being crucified.

ambiguity

giving rise to uncertainty with regard to interpretation
Jake saw her duck.Duck is an example of an ambiguous word as it can mean "a bird" or "bend." The word remains ambiguous because the sentence does not provide enough context for the word duck.

anadiplosis

rhetorical term for the repetition of the last word of one line or clause to begin the next: "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you" (Yoda in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace). Anadiplosis can be used to build a climax, which is the arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in increasing intensity.

analogy

A form of logical inference or an instance of it, based on the assumption that if two things are known to be alike in some respects, then they must be alike in other respects.
“Life spins like a wheel.”

anaphora

the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

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.

anecdote

a brief, often but not necessarily autobiographical story used to illustrate a point
For example, if coworkers are discussing pets, and one person tells a story about how her cat comes downstairs at a certain time every night, then that individual has just shared an _____

antithesis

The direct or exact opposite: Hope is the antithesis of despair. a. A figure of speech in which sharply contrasting ideas are juxtaposed in a balanced or parallel phrase or grammatical structure, as in "He for God only, she for God in him" (John Milton). b. The second and contrasting part of such a juxtaposition. 2. The second stage of the Hegelian dialectic process, representing the opposite of the thesis

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." – Martin Luther King Jr.

Here, "live together as brothers" contrasts directly with "perish together as fools," emphasizing the choice between unity and destruction.

apostrophe

The direct address of an absent or imaginary person or of a personified abstraction, especially as a digression in the course of a speech or composition.

"O Death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" – 1 Corinthians 15:55

Here, the speaker directly addresses "Death" and "Grave," treating them as if they were living beings capable of responding. This adds intensity to the message about overcoming death.

assonance

resemblance of sound, especially of the vowel sounds in words, as in: "that dolphin-torn, that gong-tormented sea

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

Here, the repeated "ai" sound in "rain," "Spain," "stays," and "plain" creates a musical effect.

asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used, as in "Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,/Shrunk to this little measure?" (Shakespeare). Contrasting term=polysyndeton

chiasmus

a type of antithesis in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first with the parts reversed. Ex.: "I had a teacher I liked who used to say good fiction's job was to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable" (David Foster Wallace).

climax

The arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in order of increasing importance or intensity: "This is the truth: truth leads to trust; trust leads to loyalty; loyalty leads to power." This is an example of anadiplosis and ____.

connotation

the emotional or associative value of a word, apart from its dictionary meaning vs. denotation—the literal, dictionary definition of a word

Childlike vs. Childish

• Both mean "resembling a child," but childlike has a positive connotation (innocence, wonder), while childish has a negative connotation (immaturity, foolishness).

epistrophe

repetition of a word or group of words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

"Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." – Abraham Lincoln

Here, "the people" is repeated at the end of each phrase, reinforcing the idea of democracy.

euphemism

The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive

The opposite is dysphemism, or the use of a derogatory or unpleasant term instead of a neutral or pleasant one.

Instead of saying "He died," a ____ would be "He passed away."

figurative language

any nonliteral turn in language, which can be classified into tropes and schemes.

hyperbole

a figure of speech employing exaggeration for tactical effect; the opposed term would be understatement
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

imagery

a vivid description, appealing to one or more of the senses
"The golden sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of crimson and violet as the salty breeze kissed my skin."

irony

1. verbal irony: saying one thing, while meaning another (note; often associated with sarcasm, but not exactly the same thing as sarcasm, which I would characterize as a biting tone)

After failing a test: "Well, that went just great."

2. situational irony: when what is counter to expectation transpires

A fire station burns down. (You’d expect it to be the last place to catch fire.)

3. dramatic irony: The dramatic effect achieved by leading an audience to understand an incongruity between a situation and the accompanying speeches, while the characters in the play remain unaware of the incongruity.

In horror movies, the audience sees the villain hiding, but the character walks in unaware.

jargon

technical language, specific to a particular field

Tech jargon: "The server crashed due to a DDoS attack." (A cyber attack that overwhelms a server)

juxtaposition

placing two unlike things side by side to highlight their differences. Writers use it for rhetorical effect.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." – A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)

• This contrast emphasizes the extreme conditions of the era.

metaphor

A figure of speech, specifically of substitution, in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in "a sea of troubles" or "All the world's a stage" (Shakespeare)

metonymy

Another figure of substitution in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use of Washington for the United States government or of the sword for military power.
"The White House issued a statement."

onomatpoeia

The formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

Animal sounds: "The bees buzzed around the hive."

oxymoron

A rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence and a mournful optimist.

"Living dead" (A contradiction between being alive and dead.)

paradox

a statement or situation that appears self-contradictory or absurd but, upon deeper analysis, reveals an underlying truth. It often challenges conventional thinking and invites deeper reflection.

Example: "Less is more." (It seems illogical, but in certain contexts—such as minimalism—it holds truth.

parallelism

in grammar, the use of identical or equivalent syntactic constructions in corresponding clauses or phrases.

"She loves swimming, running, and biking."

parody

a literary or artistic form, usually satiric, that imitates the characteristic style of an author or work in order to ridicule it

"Weird Al" Yankovic's songs are parodies of famous pop songs, like "Eat It", which parodies Michael Jackson's "Beat It."

personification

figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form, as in Hunger sat shivering on the road or Flowers danced about the lawn. The opposite figure might be called objectification.

"The wind whispered through the trees." (The wind is given the human ability to "whisper.")

pun

A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words. “I was trying to remember how to use my boomerang, and then it came back to me.”

rhetoric

persuasive speech or language

rhetorical devices

figures of speech or language used for literary or persuasive effect

rhetorical question

a question asked for argumentative effect

rhetorical strategy

the strategy or plan selected to effectively deliver the intended message in a written piece of work. There is no set list of defined strategies, but use of rhetorical modes in any given combination, use of the classical appeals (to reason, ethos, and feeling), and use of style might all be components of a writer’s overall rhetorical strategy in a text.

satire

the use of irony, parody, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.; using humor to make a serious point

"Oh, great—another politician promising change while doing the exact opposite. What a shock!" (Uses sarcasm to criticize politicians.)

simile

a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”

symbol

something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.

"The dove is a symbol of peace."

synecdoche

figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword)

"All hands on deck!" (Here, "hands" represents the whole sailors.)

"Nice wheels!" (Here, "wheels" represents the whole car.)

syntax

the pattern of formation of phrases or sentences

To be or not to be, that is the question." – Shakespeare

• The syntax emphasizes contrast and rhythm.

• Correct syntax: "She happily ran to the store."

• Incorrect syntax: "Happily she to the store ran."

tone

authors attitude toward a subject or audience in a piece of writing

Joyful tone: "The sun shone brightly as laughter filled the air."

Sarcastic tone: "Oh great, another meeting—just what I needed to make my day perfect."

Serious tone: "The effects of climate change are devastating and demand immediate action."

understatement

restraint or lack of emphasis used for rhetorical effect

After scoring 100% on a test: "I did okay, I guess."