Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
anaphora
A device in which the writer repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple clauses or sentences.
epistrophe
A close relative to anaphora, it is a device in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the end of multiple clauses or sentences.
antithesis
A device that makes use of a contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas. It is one of the most attractive and powerful tools in speech and writing. It can be built by contrasting any of the different parts of a statement; opposing words, entire clauses, even whole sentences.
litotes
Similar to understatement, this device emphasizes its point by using a word opposite to the condition. For example, one says “it was no easy trip” rather than, “the trip was hard.” It may also be used to weaken a claim. While an obviously ironic use of litotes acts as an understatement to emphasize the initial claim, a non-ironic use can soften the edges of that same claim.
personification
The act of giving human attributes to something non-human.
simile
A device in which the writer compares two things, generally using like or as; while it has many stylistic uses, its strategic value should not be underestimated. The ability to create images and new associations in the reader’s mind is an important one, and the simile offers an easy way to do this.
metaphor
A close relative to the simile, this type of device compares one thing to another by speaking of it as if it is that other thing, making no distinction. For example, “The light-bulb is a bright sun.”
