Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
Ethos
Appealing to Authority
(establish ‘self’ as a voice of authority)
Pathos
Appealing to Emotion
(pity, compassion)
Logos
Appealing to Logic
(rational thinking)
Kairos
Appealing to the Opportune Moment
(critical to act now; e.g. “purchase in the next 20 minutes, and get a free…”)
Simile
Often a side by side comparison of two unlike things that are alike in some respects, often introduced by “like” or “as”
(“The world is like a stage”)
Metaphor
A comparison of two unlike things that are described in a way that somehow joins them together into one, which isn’t literally true
(“All the world’s a stage” or “a world-stage”)
Analogy
An explanatory comparison of two unlike things that are alike in some respects (either Simile or Metaphor), with a specific focus on explaining their shared quality
(“The world is a setting like a stage creates a setting, and people are a part of a story like performers act out a story—both are very dramatic”)
Juxtaposition, Comparison
Placing of two items side by side to create a certain effect or reveal an attitude
(“Beauty & Ugliness.”)
Anthropomorphism
The literal ‘morphing’, showing, or treating of animals, gods, and objects as if they are human in appearance, character, or behavior
(The plastic grocery bag literally has a face, arms, and legs, dancing as a ballet dancer would—the grocery bag-dancer is an object that defies reality; OR the plastic grocery bag is just a grocery bag caught in the wind, but it is done so on the stage of a ballet theatre, the orchestra is playing, and an audience dressed in tuxedos and gowns are watching, followed by applause)
Personification
Implying human characteristics to something that appears and behaves nonhuman
(A plastic grocery bag may appear in one’s mind to “dance” in the air, but in reality one can argue that it is just a random grocery bag caught in the wind)
Pareidolia
Causes people to interpret random images, or patterns of light and shadow, as faces
(Seeing shapes of objects in clouds, hearing hidden messages in music, seeing faces in objects where a face was not intended)
Synecdoche
Synecdoche /sɪnˈekdəki/
Using a specific part of an object to represent the whole object.
(“wheels”=car, “wings”=plane, “all hands on deck”=all PEOPLE on deck, “mouths to feed”=PEOPLE to feed, “The White House”=The President and/or others who work there, “Chicago”=Chicago Cubs Baseball Team)
Metonymy
(a special case of Synecdoche)
Using a specific physical object to represent a more general and closely associated theme.
(“sweat” = the idea of hard work, “ring” = the idea of marriage or union, “Hollywood” = perceived celebrity lifestyle and culture)
Paradox
A statement that seems contradictory, but is actually true
(“You can save money by spending it.”).
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a paradox reduced to two words, usually an adjective-adjective or adjective-verb (“eloquent silence”), or adverb-adjective (“inertly strong”).
Irony
A situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant.
(“A fire station burns down”, “a marriage counselor files for divorce”)
Sarcasm
A form of verbal irony that mocks, ridicules, or expresses contempt. It’s really more a tone of voice than a rhetorical device. You’re saying the opposite of what you mean and doing it in a particularly hostile tone.
(Saying it’s a “nice day” when it’s raining)
Hyperbole
Exaggerated claims not meant to be taken literally.
(“This class is going to last an eternity…”)
Nostalgia
Desire to return in thought or fact to a former (better) time. The old photograph stirred a bittersweet longing for the simpler days of youth. Advertising often uses older songs, classic celebrities, and ideas of simplicity/simple living. Might also borrow from parody
Parody
A humorous imitation of an existing work of art/literature/film. Or a cleverly exaggerated impression of someone that is known to the audience.
Satire
A parody used to make fun of or ridicule a human vice/folly/weakness, in order to makes a point.
Allusion
A passing or casual reference, often to something historical. Meant to pay respects, being careful to not make fun of the reference.
Euphemism
A substitution of a milder or less direct or offensive expression/visual for one that is harsh, blunt, or offensive. Often sexual, but doesn’t have to be. It makes the bad seem good, the negative seem positive, the unnatural seem natural, the unpleasant seem attractive, or at least tolerable.
(“Dead” is substituted with “passed away”, “employment termination” is substituted with being “let go”, “poor” is substituted with “Economically Disadvantaged”)
Propaganda
Information/ideas/rumors deliberately spread to help or harm a specific person/group/nation.
(“Loose lips sink ships”)
Pun
A pun is a play on words that produces a humorous effect by using a word that suggests two or more meanings, or by exploiting similar sounding words that have different meanings.
(“You can TUNE a guitar, but you can’t TUNA fish. Unless of course, you play BASS.” - Douglas Adams; “DENIAL ain’t just a river in Egypt.” - Mark Twain is referring to THE NILE river in Egypt)
Palindrome
A word, number, phrase, or other sequence of characters which reads the same backward as forward.
(Madam or racecar or the number 10801. Sentence-length palindromes may be written when allowances are made for adjustments to capital letters, punctuation, and word dividers, such as “A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!”, “Was it a car or a cat I saw?” or “No ‘x’ in Nixon”)
