Rhetoric Devices Flashcards
METAPHOR
One thing is described in terms of another (without words that mark it)
E.g. “She was a rose”, “Time is money”
SIMILE
One thing is likened to another in order to enhance an image. Overt comparison (‘like’, ‘as’)
E.g. “She was beautiful as a rose”, “You are cold as ice”
PERSONIFICATION
The attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects
E.g. “The moon (…) is terribly upset” “The fears of years cut across our backs”
METONYMY
The name of an attribute/object closely associated with another object substitutes said object
E.g. “The Crown” for the U.K. monarchy, “The White House” for the U.S. presidency, “suit” for a businessperson
SYNECDOCHE
The part stands for the whole
E.g. “Your limbs, they are alive”, “The hand that fed you”, “Nice wheels”
HYPERBOLE
Exaggeration for emphasis
E.g. “Till the sun goes cold”, “I for five centuries right gladly would be”
UNDERSTATEMENT
Opposite of hyperbole, treating something as less important than it is (frequently associated with irony)
E.g. “It isn’t very serious, I have this tiny little tumor on the brain”, “Fine and private place” (talking about a grave)
ANTITHESIS
Contrasting ideas by the use of opposite/very different meanings. Level of the CLAUSE (frequently associated with parallel structure)
E.g. “Man proposes, God disposes”, “Easy on the eyes but hard on the heart”
OXYMORON
Combination of incongrous/contradictory words. Level of the PHRASE
E.g. “Darkness visible”, “honest thief”, “cruel kindness”
PARADOX
Apparently self-contradictory/nonsensical STATEMENT that hides a formal truth
E.g. “All I know is I know nothing”, “Less is more”, “The more you give, the more you get”
SYNAESTHESIA
Mixing of sensations, concurrent appeal to more than one sense
E.g. “I can smell the green already”
VERBAL IRONY
Saying what one does not mean- implied criticism. Sarcasm tends to be harsher and associated with bitterness and disgust, while irony employs humour
E.g. “I’d rather be a Pagan…” “Black men in the south are soooo pretty”
DRAMATIC IRONY
The audience understands the meaning/implications of a situation but the characters do not. It can create fear or pity
E.g. In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is just sleeping but Romeo thinks she’s dead
SITUATIONAL IRONY
What happens is not what is expected to happen
E.g. “Water everywhere, nor any drop to drink”
EXTERNAL RHYME
Formalized consonance of syllables between succesive lines/units
E.g. “The sun sets in the west / As the birds return to their nest”
