Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
Alliteration
- (noun) - the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables.
- The poet effectively used an alliteration to enhance his writing.
- Walter walked wearily while wondering where Wally was.
Garry’s giraffe gobbled gooseberries greedily, getting good at grabbing goodies.
Allegory
- Allegory is a symbolism device where the meaning of a greater, often abstract, concept is conveyed with the aid of a more tangible object or idea being used as an example.
- There’s plenty of allegory that is also great literature.
- Faith is like a stony uphill climb: a single stumble might send you sprawling but belief and steadfastness will see you to the very top.
“Animal Farm” is an example where the actions of the animals on the farm are used to expose the greed and corruption of the Communist Revolution.
Allusion
Allusion(Noun)
-a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.
- “The rise in poverty will unlock the Pandora’s box of crimes.”
Example of Allusion in everyday speech:
“Stop acting like my ex-husband please.”
Example of Allusion in Literature:
“All night the dread less Angel unpursu’d
Through Heav’ns wide Champain held his way, till Morn,
Wak’t by the circling Hours, with rosie hand
Unbarr’d the gates of Light. There is a Cave
Within the Mount of God, fast by his Throne”
Example of Allusion in a sentence:
The author’s new book contains an allusion to mythological gods.
Analogy
Analogy (noun): a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it
Used in a sentence: As always, the dream analogy served as extremely helpful.
Examples:
You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.
She was offended when I told her that she was as flaky as a snowstorm.
Anecdote
definition: short little scene or story taken from personal experiences; noun
example: Creed told many anecdotes about his outrageous adventures.
example:
“After the long Ohio winter, I was so happy to see the first signs of spring that I ran outside as soon as I saw our first flower blooming. I plucked the dewy, white blossom and tucked it into my hair band and went about my day with joy in my heart. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice that my big white flower had been host to a dozen or so tiny bugs, that apparently enjoyed a new home in the warmth and security of my hair. I was soon itching and twitching like a scrappy dog. Next time I stop to smell the flowers, I’ll make sure I’ll do it with my eyes wide open.”
Antithesis
Antithesis: (noun) Contrast or oppostion between two things or idea
Friends of the actress say she is quite the antithesis of her giddy and frivolous character.
EX:
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.” - Aristotle
Appositive
Definition: a noun, noun phrase, or a series of nouns that are placed to a word or phrase to identify it or rename it
Authors use appositives to rename or make sure the audience understands the word and what it is.
Ex: My best friend, Lee is going for a walk.
Ex: Don’t leave your shoes out, or my dog, Ollie, will eat them.
Dialect
1) a) a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language
b) one of two or more cognate languages
c) a variety of a language used by the members of a group
d) a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (as social class)
2) manner or means of expressing oneself
2. A sentence using the term correctly
If you go to different parts of the United States, you will find different dialects that can make communication difficult.
- Two examples demonstrating the term – these may be borrowed or original
a) people from Wisconsin speak upper midwestern dialect
b) Bostonians speak Boston urban dialect
- Source information for any of the items above
http: //www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect
Dialogue
- a definition of the term with part of speech
Noun-The lines spoken by a character or characters in a play, essay, story, or novel, especially a conversation between two characters, or a literary work that takes the form of such a discussion (e.g., Plato’s Republic). - a sentence using the term correctly
In the play between the first two characters there was a very long dialogue that affected us all.
3. two examples demonstrating the term -- these may be borrowed or original Example 1: BENVOLIO Good morning, cousin. ROMEO Is it morning already? BENVOLIO Yes, it's 9:00 o'clock. ROMEO The hours seem so sad as they just linger on. Was that my father who left in such a hurry? BENVOLIO Yes, it was. Tell me, what is it that makes you so sad and causes time to pass so slowly? ROMEO I just don't have what's needed to make time fly. BENVOLIO In love are you? ROMEO Out. BENVOLIO Out of love? ROMEO Out of favor with the one I love.
Diction
Diction: word choice and use of words in a work that convey a certain writing style or tone
-Daniel reads quickly, but his diction is precise enough that no words are lost.
-2 Examples:
Example #1
Keats in his “Ode to the Grecian Urn” uses formal diction to achieve a certain effect. He goes:
“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on”
Notice the use of formal “ye” instead of informal “you”. The formality here is due to the respect the urn inspires in Keats. In the same poem he says:
“Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu.”
It is more formal to use “adieu” than to say “goodbye”.
Example 2:
Writers’ skillfully choose words to develop a certain tone and atmosphere in their works. Read the following excerpt from a short story “The School” by Donald Barthelme:
citation
- The student had to write citations that she used for her essay,
- Russell, Tony, Allen Brizee, and Elizabeth Angeli. “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 4 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 July 2010.
Cullen concludes, “Of all the things that happened there / That’s all I remember” (11-12).
epiphany
An epiphany is a presentation, sometimes symbolically, of a moment of revelation or insight. It is a noun.
2. An example using the word epiphany could be…
My near death experience caused me to have an epiphany about how fragile human life is.
3. Examples of epiphanies include…
“I used to smoke a lot. Everyone let me know that it was bad for my health however, I didn’t pay any notice. One day I saw my two years of age offspring trying for a used cigarette within an ashtray. Seeing this, abruptly it dawned upon me how terrible smoking was and I stopped smoking.”
“Growing up in the suburbs, I never really saw how a city worked. I always thought of it as towering buildings and backed-up traffic. As soon as I visited parts of the city I began to see homeless people, people with guns in their pockets, busted windows, and rotting wood. I realized that I was lucky since I had a decent home and a life without crime.”
euphemism
Definition: “The substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.” Euphemism is a noun.
2.) Euphemism is an example of a literary device college students can use to make their writing more pleasing to their college professors.
3.) “You are becoming a little thin on top.” This refers to somebody becoming bald.
“He is always tired and emotional” This refers to someone who is drunk.
“He is a special child.” This harsh example refers to somebody who has a disability of some sort.
extended metaphor
) Definition: Extended Metaphor (n).- a metaphor introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary work, especially a poem.
2.) Use in a sentence:
An extended metaphor may act as a central theme, for example where it is used as the primary vehicle of a poem and is used repeatedly and in different forms.
3.) Examples:
Robert Frost uses an extended metaphor to compare two roads to various life paths and the weighty decision of which direction to follow in his famous poem, “The Road Not Taken”.
“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief.”
(Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet)
Shakespeare has made use of extended metaphor by comparing “Juliet” with the “sun”.
fallacy
incorrect argument or conjunction statement based on an illogical reason (illogical argument)
2. We often use fallacies when we want to win an argument.
3. Examples:
Everybody buys their clothes from that store, so it must be a really great store.
If you don’t care about global warming, then you must be a terrible person.
footnote/endnote
Footnote:
Definition: a note with added information that is placed below the text on a printed page
Sentence: If someone wants to find out more information on the text he or she is reading, they should read the footnote.
Examples:
It is well known that patients who suffer from Crohn’s and Colitis can have many debilitating symptoms.¹
Footnote:
¹See the CCFA.org website for more information about the symptoms that Crohn’s and Colitis patients may experience.
A variety of research suggests that developing basic literacy skills in early childhood can contribute to greater success in acquiring strong comprehension skills later in school.²
Footnote:
²A variety of research based articles and ideas for developing early learning skills can be found at www.readingrockets.org.
Endnote:
Definition: A note, added at the end of a text (noun)
Sentence: Reference the endnote, located at the end of a section or text, to learn more about the passage.
generalization
a general statement : a statement about a group of people or things that is based on only a few people or things in that group. (noun)
2. Someone makes the generalization that homework is hard because a student is struggling with it.
3. Examples:
Rich people are greedy.
It is easy to learn how to drive.
genre
Noun
1) A particular type or category of literature or art
Nancy Drew books fall into the mystery genre.
Genre examples:
science-fiction
folk art
hyperbole
- A great exaggeration of the truth in order to prove a point.
- Obvious and intentional exaggeration.
The word ‘hyperbole,’ derives from the greek roots: ‘hyper-‘ meaning hyper, and ‘-bolḗ’ meaning a throw. This combined meaning to “to throw unbelievably far,” or “over-casting.” From the root it is easy to say that the word was chosen, for it of itself is a hyperbole.
Used in a sentence: This isn’t mere hyperbole, this isn’t myth, this is a fact.
Examples: My grandmother is as old as the hills. Your suitcase weighs a ton! She is as heavy as an elephant! I am dying of shame. I am trying to solve a million issues these days. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!
imagery
Visually descriptive or figurative language. Imagery is a noun
- The use of imagery in his essay was very descriptive and made me feel as though everything he was talking about was happening in real life.
- On a starry winter night in Portugal
Where the ocean kissed the southern shore
There a dream I never thought would come to pass
Came and went like time spent through an hourglass
-Teena Marie, “Portuguese Love”
A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way
