rhetorical list one Flashcards
Allegory
A story in which the people, places, and things represent general concepts or moral qualities.
Aslan from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis has been said to represent Jesus Christ.
What is an Allusion
A brief reference to a person, place, event, or a passage in a work of literature such as the Bible or in history, pop culture, or current events assumed to be recognized by the reader.
“Chocolate was her Achilles’ heel.” This means that her weakness was her love of chocolate. The allusion is the REFERENCE to Achilles, a character in Greek mythology.
Damming with faint praise
Intentional use of a positive statement that has a negative connotation.
“Your new hairdo is so…interesting.”
Metonymy
A figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated.
The suits were at a meeting.
Synecdoche
A literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or a whole to represent a part.
The crown holds the authority of the country.
Euphemism
The use of a word or phrase that is less direct, but that is also less distasteful or less offensive than another.
“He is at rest” is a euphemism for “he is dead.”
Hyperbole
An extravagant exaggeration of fact used either for serious or comic relief.
“Your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleep…” – Richard III, William Shakespeare
imagery
Lively descriptions that use figurative language to tap into the five senses.
The big, juicy burger with its melted cheese and red tomatoes made my mouth water and my stomach grumble.
metaphor
A figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common.
“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” – William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18
What is an Oxymoron?
A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect.
Examples include “liquid gas,” “organized chaos,” “awfully pretty,” “jumbo shrimp.”
paradox
A statement which seems contradictory, but which may be true in fact.
“Success is counted sweetest/By those who ne’er succeed…” – Emily Dickinson.
personification
A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstract concept is endowed with human attributes.
Examples include the hand of fate and the pencil ran across the paper.
What is a Simile?
A figure of speech involving a comparison using “like,” “as,” “than,” or “resembles.”
“O my love is like a red, red rose.” – Robert Burns.
symbol
Something that stands for another thing; it is frequently an object used to represent an abstraction.
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – William Shakespeare.
understatement
Deliberately representing something as much less than it really is.
“I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.” – J.D. Salinger.
