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AP Language > AP Rhetorical Devices > Flashcards

AP Rhetorical Devices Flashcards

1
Q

Anecdote

A

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

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2
Q

Perspective

A

A characters view of the situation or events in a story

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3
Q

Aphorism

A

A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief
Ex). Early to bed and early to rise, make a man healthy wealthy and wise

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4
Q

Contradiction

A

A direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency

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5
Q

Apostrophe

A

A person, thing, or abstract quality is addressed as if present
Ex). The invocation of the muses is usually found in epic poetry

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6
Q

Oxymoron

A

Combines two apparently apparently contradictory elements

Ex). Jumbo shrimp, deafening silence

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7
Q

Allusion

A

Makes 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.

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8
Q

Syllogism

A

A form of deduction. An extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument.

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9
Q

Satire

A

A literary style used to make fun of or ridicule an idea or human vice or weakness.

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10
Q

Devices

A

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

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11
Q

Foil

A

A person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast.

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12
Q

Epitaph

A

A piece of writing in praise of a deceased person.

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13
Q

Parody

A

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

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14
Q

Sarcasm

A

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

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15
Q

Expletive

A

A single word or short phrase intended to emphasize surrounding words. Commonly, they are set off by commas.
Ex). In fact, of course, after all, certainly

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16
Q

Irony

A

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

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17
Q

Eulogy

A

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

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18
Q

Paradox

A

A statement that seems contradictory, but is actually true.

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19
Q

Epiphany

A

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.

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20
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

A word capturing or approximating the sound it describes.

Ex). Buzz, hiss

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21
Q

Diction

A

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

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22
Q

Utopia

A

An imaginary place of ideal perfection.

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23
Q

Hyperbole

A

An overstatement characterized by exaggerated language

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24
Q

Antagonist

A

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

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25
Q

Analogy

A

Comparison of two things that are alike in some respects. Metaphors and similes are both types of this.

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26
Q

Inductive

A

Conclusion or type of reasoning whereby observation or information about part of a class is applied to the class as a whole.

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27
Q

Nostalgia

A

Desire to return in thought or fact to a former time.

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28
Q

Thesis

A

Focus statement of an essay; precise statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based.

29
Q

Ethos

A

In dramatic literature, the moral element that determines a character’s actions, rather than thought or emotions.

30
Q

Propaganda

A

Information or rumor deliberately spread to help or harm a person, group, or institution.

31
Q

Didactic

A

Intended for teaching or to teach a moral lesson.

32
Q

Formal Language

A

Language that is lofty, dignified, or impersonal.

33
Q

Allegory

A

Narrative form in which characters and actions have meanings outside themselves.
Ex). Characters are usually personifications of abstract qualities.

34
Q

Colloquial

A

Ordinary language; the vernacular.

Ex). Depending on where in the United States you live, a sandwich is called a sub, a grinder, or a hero.

35
Q

Aesthetic

A

Pertaining to the value of art for its own sake or form.

36
Q

Juxtaposition

A

Placing of two items side by side to create a certain effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose.

37
Q

Elegy

A

Poem or prose lamenting the death of a particular person.

38
Q

Antihero

A

Protagonist of a literary work who does not embody the traditional qualities of a hero (honor, bravery, kindness, intelligence).

39
Q

Catharsis

A

Purification or cleansing of the spirit through the emotions of pity and terror as a witness to a tragedy.

40
Q

Epigraph

A

Quote set at the beginning of a literary work or at its divisions to set the tone or suggest a theme.

41
Q

Motif

A

Recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event.

42
Q

Parallelism

A

Recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences equal in importance. It also adds balance, rhythm, and clarity to the sentence.

43
Q

Anaphora

A

Regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.
Ex). We shall fight in the trenches, we shall fight on the oceans, we shall fight in the sky

44
Q

Imagery

A

Sensory details in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object. Involves all five senses.

45
Q

Euphemism

A

Substitution of a milder or less direct expression for one that is harsh or blunt.
Ex). “Passed away” for “dead”

46
Q

Genre

A

Term used to describe literary forms

Ex). Tragedy, comedy, novel, essay

47
Q

Voice

A

The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of words of the story; the speaker, a “person” telling the story or poem.

48
Q

Tone

A

The attitude a literary work takes towards its subject and theme. It reflects the narrator’s attitude.

49
Q

Theme

A

The central or dominant idea or concern of a work; the main idea or meaning.

50
Q

Protagonist

A

The chief character in a work of literature.

51
Q

Denotation

A

The dictionary definition of a word; the direct and specific meaning.

52
Q

Mood

A

The feeling or ambience resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator’s attitude and point of view. Created though descriptions of feelings or objects that establish a particular feeling.
Ex). Gloom, fear, or hope

53
Q

Realism

A

The literary practice of attempting to describe life and nature without idealization and with attention to detail.

54
Q

Prose

A

The ordinary form of written language without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse.

55
Q

Audience

A

The person(s) reached by a piece of writing.

56
Q

Asyndeton

A

The practice of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. In a list, it gives a more extemporaneous effect and suggests the list may be incomplete.
Ex). He was brave, fearless, afraid of nothing.

57
Q

Deductive

A

The reasoning process by which a conclusion is drawn by a set of premises and contains no more facts than these premises.

58
Q

Assonance

A

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words.

59
Q

Alliteration

A

The repetition of initial consonant sounds or any vowel sounds within a formal grouping, such as a poetic line or stanza, or in close proximity in prose.

60
Q

Consonance

A

The repetition of two or more consonants with a change in the intervening vowels.
Ex). Pitter-patter, splish-splash, Click-clack

61
Q

Point of view

A

The view the reader gets of the action and characters in a story

62
Q

Persona

A

The voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who may or may not share the values of the actual author.

63
Q

Syntax

A

The way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. It is sentence structure and how it influences the way a reader perceives a piece of writing.

64
Q

Foreshadow

A

To hint at or present things to come in a story or play.

65
Q

Personification

A

Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by giving it human qualities.

66
Q

Ambiguity

A

Use of a language in which multiple meanings are possible. Can be unintentional but frequently intentional.

67
Q

Connotation

A

What is implied by a word.

Ex). Sweet, gay, and awesome all have connotations quite different from their actual definitions.

68
Q

Transition words

A

Words and devices that bring unity and coherence to a piece of writing.
Ex). However, in addition, on the other hand

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