Rhetorical Devices #2 Flashcards
A story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth. These characters, etc. may be symbolic of the ideas referred to.
Example: An author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom.
Allegory
An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way.
example: Artful language
Ambiguity
A comparison to a directly parallel case.
example: You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.
Analogy
A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Often inserted into fictional or non fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.
example: Any short description that makes readers laugh or brood over topic.
Anecdote
A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle.
example: “god helps them that help themselves.”
Aphorism
Ordinary or familiar type of conversation/ a common or familiar type of saying
example: go bananas - go insanse
colloquial/ism
A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.
Didactic
To recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture that being described.
example: She had long, brown hair.
Description
A quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of theme.
example: Beginning of twilight books
Epigraph
A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts political correctness, exaggerate correctness to add humor.
example: Vertically challenged means short
Euphemism
“sermon” any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
Homily
When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.
example: A big dog named tiny.
Irony
When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.
example: gym teacher wants you to run a mile in eight minutes, calls it “a walk in the park.”
Verbal Irony
Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie, suggesting opposite of what you expect to happen, does.
Situational Irony
When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn’t & would be surprised to find out.
Dramatic Irony
