Rhetoric Vocab 1 Flashcards
Abstract
refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images
Example of abstract
Truth, liberty, freedom
Ad Hominem
in an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than the opponents ideas. It comes from the latin meaning “against the man.” example of a logical fallacy.
Example of Ad Hominem
It’s hard to take your claims seriously because you spend all of your time watching TV.
Allegory
a work that functions on a symbolic level
Example of an allegory
Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory for a corrupt government. The farm animals rise up against the farmer and fight for freedom and equality and eventually fall under a kind of dictatorship.
Alliteration
The repetition of initial consonant sounds.
Example of alliteration
Peter Picked a peck of pickled peppers
Allusion
A reference contained in a work
Example of Allusion
Like eve in the garden of eden george was not good at resisting temptation.
Chocolate cake was her achilles heel.
Altruism/Altruistic
The unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others
Example of Altruism
Volunteering at an animal shelter or giving something to help others. Les miserables -main character helps the less fortunate to make up for his past wrongs
Ambiguity
The multiple meanings either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage
Example of Ambiguity
call me a taxi - be called taxi or asking for someone to call them a taxi
Analogy
a literary device employed to serve as a basis for comparison. It is assumed that what applies to the parallel situation also applies to the original circumstance. In other words it is the comparison between two different items.
Example of Analogy
Finding that book will be like finding a needle in a haystack
Anecdote
a story or brief episode told by the writer to illustrate a point.
Example of anecdote
“When I went to buy my morning coffee, I ran into an old friend. He told me he won the lottery and he was going to buy a yacht. A few months later I found out he declared bankruptcy. “
Antithesis
The presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs.
Example of antithesis
ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country
Aphorism
a terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principal
Example of Aphorism
Actions speak louder than words.
all work no play makes jack a dull boy.
The early bird gets the worm
Archetype
The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based: a model or first form
Example of archetype
evil stepmother is an archetype presented across different cultures. She is found in fairy tales such as cinderella.
Argument
Any text that expresses a point of view
Example of argument
The article to the mother of the gunshot victim I couldn’t save argued that gun violence is cruel and we should come together to stop it.
Cacophony
harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary work
Example of Cacophony
Lewis Carroll uses Cacophony through the looking glass in a poem called Jabberwocky.
“Beware the Jabberwocky my son!
The jaws that bite,
The claws that catch!
beware the jubjub bird,
and shun the frumious bandersnatch.”
or
Klarissa Klein drives an old, grumbling Cadillac which has a crumpled bumper and screaming, honking horn.
Caricature
a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a persons distinctive physical features or other characteristics.
Example of Caricature
The character hook in the movie hook is over exaggerated in his evil conniving ways to create a great dislike for him in a more humorous less scary manner to appeal to a younger audience and maintain lightheartedness.
colloquial
The use of slang in writing, often to create local color + provide informational tone.
Example of colloquial
The color purple uses colloquial style to convey realism and the setting of the deep south.
Comic relief
The inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work. Thereby intensifying the next tragic event.
Example of comic relief
Juno from the movie juno brings comedy and jokes to serious situations. Jack from white noise has funny scenes as well as deadpan lines. to lighten the mood.
Conflict
A clash between opposing forces in a literary work, man v. man, man v. nature, man v. god, man v. self.
Example of conflict
In lord of the flies there is a conflict of man v. man. There are two groups on the island one led by Jack and one led by Ralph. Jack and his tribe give into savage instinct and try to hunt or kill the civilized boys led by ralph.
Connective tissue
Those elements that help create coherence in a written piece
example of connective tissue
The flower grew. A leaf sprouted.
As the flower blossomed and lengthened a small green leaf unfurled.
Connotation
The interpretive level of a work based on its associated images rather than it’s literal meanings.
examples of connotations
childlike- positive
childish- negative
cocky- negative
confident- positive
deduction
The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example
Example of deduction
all men are mortal. socrates is a man. Therefore socrates is mortal
Anaphora
the deliberate repetition of the 1st part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic, rhythmic cadence. Apart from the function of giving prominence to ideas, the use adds rhythm to literature making it more pleasurable to read and easier to remember.
Example of anaphora
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.
-Winston Churchill
