Rheterical Device 4 Flashcards
As in Greek theater, use of an artificial device or contrived solution to solve a difficult situation, usually introduced suddenly and unexpectedly
Deus ex machina
One of the varieties of language appropriate to particular social situations
Register
The perception of fate or the universe as malicious or indifferent to human suffering, which creates a painful contrast between a character’s purposeful activity and it’s ultimate meaninglessness
Cosmic irony
Related to style, this refers to the writer’a word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness
Diction
Established belief of doctrine, usually religious, which cannot be refuted or argued
Dogmatism
A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by the dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. Work may seem relaxed, and even informal
Loose sentence
A sentence that presents it’s central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone.
Periodic sentences
From the Greek word for, “pointedly foolish,” an oxymoron is a figure of sorry wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.
Oxymoron
Words or terms that leave no negotiation or exception
Absolute
One of the devices of repetition in which the same expression is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses or sentences
Anaphora
A mode of discourse used to present detailed observation and sensory detail
Description
Pertaining to the value of art for it’s own sake or for form; not necessarily useful, but beautiful
Aesthetic
This occurs in plays when the audience knows more than the characters
Dramatic irony
A piece of literature contained in or carried on by letters
Epistolary
An error in chronology; a reference that is inconsistent or inaccurate in view of the time in which a story is set
Anachronism
