Literary and Rhetorical Devices

Anecdote: This device involves telling a story with the specific intention of proving a point to the audience.
Climax: Refers to a sequence of words that become increasingly exciting or intense as the sentence progresses.
Juxta position: A technique where opposite ideas are used together to highlight their differences.
Implied Metaphor: A comparison between two items that does not state the comparison directly; instead, it implies the connection indirectly.
Aphorisim: A statement representing a moral or a lesson about the world that is considered the unchallenged truth.
Pun: This is a humorous way of using a word that has a different meaning or involves a play on words.
Hyperbole: Characterized as an overexaggerated statement.
Personification: The act of giving life-like attributes to inanimate objects.
Imagery: The use of descriptive or figurative language, particularly within the context of nonfiction writing.
Satire: The use of humor and irony specifically to ridicule certain mindsets prevalent in society.

Absolutes: The use of extreme language that leaves no room for debate, employed to make a speaker's point seem more confident.
AD Hominem: A personal or irrelevant attack directed at a person rather than their argument.
Concession: The act of addressing or acknowledging the opposition within an argument.
Ethos: A rhetorical appeal intended to make the speaker seem trustworthy and credible to the audience.
Logos: A method used to persuade a targeted audience by utilizing reason and logic.
Pathos: Drawing from life experience or using a work of art to stir up emotions such as pity or sorrow.
Double Bind: A strategy where the speaker gives the audience two choices that both lead to the same outcome.
Forced Teaming: The practice of making an implied connection between the speaker and the audience where no such connection actually exists.
Rapport: The process by which a speaker connects to their audience on a personal level.

Anaphora: The repetition of the same words at the beginning of successive sentences to get a point across.
Parallelism: Occurs when similar words or phrases are used repeatedly within a piece of literature to create a pattern.
Asyndeton: The conjunction of words without the use of coordinating conjunctions such as "and," "but," and "or."
Polgsgdeton: The overuse of conjunctions like "and," "or," and "by" in between words and phrases.
Contingency: A linguistic device that connects ideas using conditional terms such as "if" or "unless."
Rule of 3: A principle suggesting that three related words or phrases make writing significantly more memorable.
Syntax: Refers to the specific way in which words are placed and arranged together.

Colloquialisim: An informal word or phrase typically used in casual conversation rather than formal speech.
Euphemism: The process of exchanging a mean or harsh word with a version that is calmer and milder.
Allusion: A technique that references a thing with cultural, political, or historical significance.
Analogy: A comparison between two things that are similar in some specific way.
Connotation: The specific feelings or emotions evoked from a speaker's choice of words.
Irony: This device is split into two types defined in the transcript: * Verbal Irony: When the opposite meaning of what is said is intended. * Situational Irony: When the opposite of what is meant to happen actually happens.
Rhetorical Question: A question asked to make a point rather than to elicit an actual answer from the audience.
Tone: The way a speaker expresses their emotions to the reader through their language.
Understatement: The act of intentionally decreasing the perceived severity of a situation.