Rhetorical Terms | 2 Flashcards
Audience
Listener, viewer, or reader of a text
Backing
Info that supports the warrant
Bandwagon appeal
Ad populum, “everybody’s doing it”
Begging the question
A claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt
Bias
Prejudice or preconceived notion that prevents a person from approaching a topic in an objective way
Blank verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter
- Made up of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one
- a rhythmic meter containing five iambs
Caesura
A natural pause or break in a line of poetry
Characterization
The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character
Indirect characterization
Character is revealed through personality, words, actions
Direct characterization
Author directly describes character
Circular reasoning
Writer repeats claim as a way to provide evidence
Claim
Assertion that states the argument’s main idea
Claim of fact
Asserts that something is true or not true
Claim of policy
Proposes a change
Claim of value
Argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong
Classic oration
Five part argument structure
Introduction
Introduces the reader to the subject under discussion
Narration
Provides factual information and background material on the subject at hand, or establishes why the subject is a problem that needs addressing
Confirmation
Includes the proof needed to make the writer’s case
Refutation
Addresses the counter argument
Conclusion
Brings the essay to a satisfying close
Closed thesis
A statement of the main idea of the argument that also previews the major points the writer intends to make
Complex sentence
A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
Independent clause
Expresses a complete thought, and can stand alone
Dependent clause
Does not express a complete thought, and cannot stand alone
Compound sentence
A sentence with two or more independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions
Concession
An acknowledgment that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable
Connotation
All the meanings that a word suggest
Context
The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes and events surrounding a text
