AP Lang Rhetorical Terms List #4

Analogy

A comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is more familiar; it is typically more extensive and elaborate than a smile or metaphor

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

Anecdote

A short account of some happening, requently personal or biographical

• The TV show How I met Your Mother has a narrater that recounts his anecdotes of the events that occurred with his friends and future wife.

Anticlimax

A rhetorical device which can be defined as a disappointing situation or a sudden transition in discourse from an important idea to a ludicrous or trivial one.

• Everyone was excited to hear Beyonce in convert; she ended up losing her voice the night before the concert and all of it was lip-synched.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which some absent or non-existent person or thing is addressed as if present and capable of understanding

• “Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me; if ye really pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as nought; but if not, depart, depart, and leave me in darkness.” -Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Cause and Effect

The examination of the causes and/or effects of a situation or phenomenon

• Essay topics such as “How did the incumbent mayor lose the election?” or “What causes obesity?” are well suited to cause and effect exposition.

Colloquial Expression

Words or phrases used in everyday speech but avoided in formal writing

• “Jack was bummed out about his chemistry grade.” vs. “Jack was upset about his chemistry grade.”

Expository Writing

Writing that explains or analyzes

• Analysis papers, letters, press releases, etc.

Irony

A figure or speech where the intended meaning of the words is the opposite of their usual meaning.

• A psychic fair is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. (Psychics “see” the future, so this is situational irony.)

• The mom asked her son to do his chores. He replied, “Sure, I’m SOOO excited.” (Verbal irony as he is actually not enthused….)

• “Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed.”-William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (This is dramatic irony-the audience knows that Romeo is not married yet, and the audience also knows her wedding will be the cause of her untimely death.)

Parody

A literary composition which imitates the characteristic style of a serious work or writer and uses its features to treat trivial, nonsensical material is an attempt at humor or satire

• The Scary Movie series parodies all horror, slasher, and mystery genres.

Pedantry

A display of narrow-minded and trivial scholarship or arbitrary adherence to rules and forms; it is an excessive convern with minor details

• Evan’s father insisted that his clothes be hung in his closet all facing the same direction, color-coded, and arranged by shade from dark to light.

• When asked about the meeting, the department chair said it was not a “meeting” but rather a gathering of individuals.

Point of View

The way in which something is viewed or considered by a writer or speaker; in fiction, it is the relationship assumed between the teller of the story and the characters in it, usually demonstrated by the author’s use of either first or third person.

• Omniscient: Barbara was sure there was someone following her. The older man was actually walking to toss his garbage.

• Third-Person Limited: Riley thought to himself, I wonder if barabara will say yes to my proposal.

• First-Person: I thought to myself, Will Barabra say yes to my proposal?

Rhetoric

The art of using words effectively in writing or speaking so as to influence or persuade 

• Referring to the U.S. White House as the president’s “playground” would be a tactic of rhetoric used by a person in opposition to the President to persuade citizens that the President is incapable or incompetent and uses his power inapproproately.

Rhetorical question

A question asked for rhetorical effect to emphasize a point, no answer being expected

• “Robert, is this any way to speak to your mother?”

• “Are you kidding me?”

Satire

A literary work in which vices, abuses, absurdities, etc. are held up to ridicule and contempt; use of ridicule, sarcasm, irony etc. to expose vices, abuses, etc.

• NBC’s Saturday Night Live critiques politics and the national media through humor.

Tone

The attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience that is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.

• “Damm money. It always ends up making you blue as hell.” -J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (The character’s tone is bitterly saracastic as he criticizes the nature of thngs in real life.)