Rhetorical List 1

AP Language and Composition with Campbell

allusion

a reference to some famous literary work, historical figure, or event. Must be used with care lest the audience miss their meaning.

\
__ex__. *friend “has the patience of Job” → they’re as enduring as the Biblical figure “Job”*

argumentation

the writer’s attempt to convince his reader to agree with him. It is based upon:

• appealing to reason

• evidence proving the argument

• emotions to persuade

Some arguments attempt to merely prove a point, but others go beyond providing to inciting the reader to action. At the heart of all argumentation lies a debatable issue.

coherence

the principle of clarity and logical adherence to a topic that binds together all parts of a composition.

\
__ex__. *An essay whose parts -- sentences, paragraphs, pages -- are logically fused into a single whole.*

description

a rhetorical mode used to develop an essay whose primary aim is to depict a scene, person, thing, or idea. Descriptive writing evokes the look, feel, sound, and sense of events, people, or things

diction

Word choice. ____ refers to the choice of words a writer uses in an essay or other writing. Since we have a choice of words with various shades of meaning, a writer can and does choose among words to express ideas.

exposition

writing whose chief aim is to explain. Rather than showing, as in narration, ____ tells. A majority of essays contain this because they need to convey information, give background, or tell how events occurred or processes work.

figurative language

said of a word or expression used in a nonliteral way.

\
__ex.__ *“To go the last mile”* = to complete an unfinished task

hyperbole

a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. They often have a comedic effect, but can also produce a serious one as well. They often produce irony at the same time.

imagery

a phrase or expression that evokes a picture or describes a scene. Can be literal by describing the figure literally, or figurative, where it uses another object likened to the figure.

\
__ex.__ “*My love is like a red, red rose*”

irony

usage of language in a way that contrasts its actual meaning. The softer version of sarcasm.

• verbal irony - words literally state opposite of writer’s true meaning

• situational irony - events turn out opposite of what was expected

• dramatic irony - facts are unknown to certain characters while the reader know

metaphor

figurative language that implies the similarity between things otherwise dissimilar

\
__ex.__ “*I have been acquainted with the night*” → survived despair

mood

the pervading impression made on the feelings of the reader. A mood can be gloomy, sad, joyful, bitter, frightening, and so forth. A writer can create as many moods as his emotional range suggests.

\
__ex.__ Edgar Allan Poe often created a mood of horror in his short stories.

narration

an account of events as they happen. A ____ organizes material on the basis of chronological order or pattern.

\
Often distinguished from three other modes of writing:

*argumentation, description,* and *exposition*

oxymoron

from Greek for “pointedly foolish,” it’s a figure of speech wherein the author groups contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.

\
__ex.__ “*jumbo shrimp*”

pacing

the speed at which a piece of writing moves along. Depends on summarizing and representing action in detail

paradox

a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

parallelism

the principle of coherent writing requiring that coordinating elements be given the same grammatical form

\
__ex.__ “I was born an American’ I will live an American’ I will die an American” - Daniel Webster

parody

work that closely imitates the style of content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and or ridicule. Distorts or exaggerates distinctive features of the original

personification

attributing human qualities to objects, abstractions, or animals.

\
__ex.__ “‘Tis beauty calls and glory leads the way”

point of view

the perspective from which a piece of writing is developed. In nonfiction, it’s usually the author’s. In fiction, the POV can be 1st or 3rd.

rhetoric

the art of using persuasive language via analyzing all choices involving language so that the text becomes meaningful, purposeful and effective

rhetorical modes

describes the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major forms of writing. The four most common rhetorical modes are:

• exposition -- explains + analyzes information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion

• argumentation -- proves the validity of the idea or point of view by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convinces the reader

• description -- re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture that being described.

• narration -- to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events

simile

figure of speech that’s a metaphor, but using the words “like,” “as,” or “so”

slanting

characteristic of selecting facts, words, or emphasis to achieve a preconceived intent

• favorable intent -- “Although the Senator looks bored, when it comes time to vote he is on the right side of the issue,”

• unfavorable intent -- “The Senator may vote on the right side of the issues, but he always looks bored”

style

the way a writer writes. the expression of an author’s individuality through the use of words, sentence patterns, and selection of details. Any of the choices the writer make while writing that makes their work sound like them.