Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
Alliteration
Adds emphasis or can be juxtaposed.
Antithesis
Establishes a clear contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure.
Ex. To err is human, to forgive, divine. - Pope
Ex. Though surprising, it is true.
Ex. It may be legal, but is it moral?
Can add a sense of complexity. Or make fine distinctions that might otherwise be overlooked.
Anaphora
Repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases or sentences.
Ex. To think is misery/to think is vanity/ to think….
Epistrophe
opposite of anaphora, because the repetition of the same word or words comes at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences
Examples:
And all the night he did nothing but weep Philoclea, sigh Philoclea, and cry out Philoclea. –Philip Sidney
Epistrophe is an extremely emphatic device because of the emphasis placed on the last word in a phrase or sentence. If you have a concept you wish to stress heavily
Anadiplosis
repeats the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next. it can be generated in series for the sake of beauty or to give a sense of logical progression
Examples:
Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,/ Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain . . . . –Philip Sidney
The question next arises, How much confidence can we put in the people, when the people have elected Joe Doax?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. –John 1:1
Conduplicatio
resembles anadiplosis in the repetition of a preceding word, but it repeats a key word (not just the last word) from a preceding phrase, clause, or sentence, at the beginning of the next
Example:
The strength of the passions will never be accepted as an excuse for complying with them; the passions were designed for subjection, and if a man suffers them to get the upper hand, he then betrays the liberty of his own soul. –Alexander Pope
Epanalepsis
repeats the beginning word of a clause or sentence at the end. The beginning and the end are the two positions of strongest emphasis in a sentence, so by having the same word in both places, you call special attention to it.
Example:
Water alone dug this giant canyon; yes, just plain water.
Hypophora
consists of raising one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them, usually at some length. A common usage is to ask the question at the beginning of a paragraph and then use that paragraph to answer it. Maintains curiosity and interest.
rhetorical question
differs from hypophora in that it is not answered by the writer, because its answer is obvious or obviously desired, and usually just a yes or no. It is used for effect, emphasis, or provocation, or for drawing a conclusionary statement from the facts at hand.
Amplification
involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what might otherwise be passed over. In other words, amplification allows you to call attention to, emphasize, and expand a word or idea to make sure the reader realizes its importance or centrality in the discussion.
example:
This orchard, this lovely, shady orchard, is the main reason I bought this property.
. . . Even in Leonardo’s time, there were certain obscure needs and patterns of the spirit, which could discover themselves only through less precise analogies–the analogies provided by stains on walls or the embers of a fire. –Kenneth Clark
Pride–boundless pride–is the bane of civilization.
He showed a rather simple taste, a taste for good art, good food, and good friends.
Scesis Onomaton
emphasizes an idea by expressing it in a string of generally synonymous phrases or statements. While it should be used carefully, this deliberate and obvious restatement can be quite effective:
Examples:
We succeeded, we were victorious, we accomplished the feat!
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that deal corruptly. –Isaiah 1:4
But there is one thing these glassy-eyed idealists forget: such a scheme would be extremely costly, horrendously expensive, and require a ton of money.
Wendy lay there, motionless in a peaceful slumber, very still in the arms of sleep.
May God arise, may his enemies be scattered, may his foes flee before him. –Psalm 68:1 (NIV)
apophasis
asserts or emphasizes something by pointedly seeming to pass over, ignore, or deny it. This device has both legitimate and illegitimate uses. Legitimately, a writer uses it to call attention to sensitive or inflammatory facts or statements while he remains apparently detached from them. Can also remind people in polite way,
examples:
If you were not my father, I would say you were perverse. –Antigone
I will not even mention Houdini’s many writings, both on magic and other subjects, nor the tricks he invented, nor his numerous impressive escapes, since I want to concentrate on . . . .
Nothing need be said here about the non-energy uses of coal, such as the manufacture of plastics, drugs, and industrial chemicals . . . .
Metanoia
qualifies a statement by recalling it (or part of it) and expressing it in a better, milder, or stronger way. A negative is often used to do the recalling:
can be used to coax the reader into expanding his belief or comprehension by moving from modest to bold:
example:
Fido was the friendliest of all St. Bernards, nay of all dogs.
The chief thing to look for in impact sockets is hardness; no, not so much hardness as resistance to shock and shattering.
And if I am still far from the goal, the fault is my own for not paying heed to the reminders–nay, the virtual directions–which I have had from above. –Marcus Aurelius
Even a blind man can see, as the saying is, that poetic language gives a certain grandeur to prose, except that some writers imitate the poets quite openly, or rather they do not so much imitate them as transpose their words into their own work, as Herodotus does. –Demetrius
Aporia
expresses doubt about an idea or conclusion. Among its several uses are the suggesting of alternatives without making a commitment to either or any:
example:
I am not sure whether to side with those who say that higher taxes reduce inflation or with those who say that higher taxes increase inflation.
I have never been able to decide whether I really approve of dress codes, because extremism seems to reign both with them and without them.
Such a statement of uncertainty can tie off a piece of discussion you do not have time to pursue, or it could begin an examination of the issue, and lead you into a conclusion resolving your doubt
Simile
a comparison between two different things that resemble each other in at least one way. In formal prose the simile is a device both of art and explanation, comparing an unfamiliar thing to some familiar thing (an object, event, process, etc.) known to the reader.
