Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
Assonance
Repetition of a vowel sound
e.g. A fine time in the sunshine
Alliteration
The repetition of speech sounds, usually applied to only consonants, at the beginning of a word or of a stressed syllable within a word.
Allegory
An allegory is a type of narrative that uses characters and plot to depict abstract ideas and themes. In an allegorical story, things represent more than they appear to on the surface.
Example - think children’s fables, like the Tortoise and the Hare. Although the story is about two animals racing, the real tale is a moral one.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that emphasizes the significance of the statement’s actual meaning.
e.g. When a friend says, “I haven’t seen you in a million years,” that’s a hyperbole.
Imagery
Imagery appeals to readers’ senses through highly descriptive language. Painting a picture in the reader’s mind.
Colloquialism
Colloquial language is used in informal speech
Eg. Out of this world
Irony
Humour or sarcasm in a text
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like the noise being described e.g. “BANG”
Oxymoron
Two opposing or contradicting words placed next to each other.
e.g. freezing heat
Personification
Human qualities given to an inanimate object.
Simile
A phrase comparing or establishing similarity between two things; look for “like” or “as”.
Triple / Rule of Three
three adjectives or phrases used to describe something
Juxtaposition
two things placed together to highlight the contrast between them.
Symbolism
the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities
Ambiguity/Ambiguous
A word or idea meaning more than one thing to provoke thought.
i.e. the writer being nonspecific, leaving the meaning open to interpretation.
Paradox
A situation or statement which contradicts itself.
e.g. ‘the taller I get the shorter I become’.
Synaesthesia
The overlapping and blending of senses
e.g. ’he had a soft smile’ or ’she had a fiery voice’
Cacophony
Harsh sounds in order to make a discordant sound. “dark knuckles wrapping across bricks” (often
Ks, Ts, Cks).
Pathetic Fallacy
Using weather or environment to reflect the themes and contexts of the poem, e.g. a horror genre may involve a dark and stormy night, joyful poems may use a sunny meadow etc.
