Rhetorical Terms- Argument Flashcards

1
Q

Antagonist

A

The character who opposes the interests of the protagonist.

Ex: In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien creates Lord Sauron as the antagonist to Frodo.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Antanaclasis

A

Repetition of a word in two different senses.

Ex: If we do not hang together, we will hang separately.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Anticipated Objection

A

The technique a writer or speaker uses in an argumentative text to address and answer objections, even though the audience has not had the opportunity to voice these objections.
Ex: “You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea, and air…You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory.” (Winston Churchill)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Antimetabole

A

The repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order.
Ex: One should eat to live, not live to eat.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Apologist

A

A person or character who makes a case for some controversial, even contentious, position.
Ex: In Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, Romeo makes a case for marrying Juliet, despite the controversy over the issue.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Apology

A

An elaborate statement justifying some controversial, even contentious, position.
Ex: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” (Martin Luther King Jr.)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Apostrophe

A

The direct address of an absent person or personified object as if he/she/it is able to reply.
Ex: “O’ Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” (William Shakespeare)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Appeal to Authority

A

In a text, the reference to words, action, or beliefs of a person in authority as a means of supporting a claim, generalization, or conclusion.
Ex: Isaac Newton was a genius and he believed in God. Therefore, God must exist.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Appeal to Emotion

A

The appeal of a text to the feelings or interests of the audience.
Ex: If you don’t graduate from high school, you will always be poor.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Argument by Analysis

A

An argument developed by breaking the subject matter into its component parts.
Ex: The Virginians failed miserably at initial colonization and suffered through disease, war, and famine because of their high expectations and greed, which also molded their colony socially and economically.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Asyndeton

A

The omission of conjunctions between related clauses.

Ex: “This is the villain among you who deceived you, who cheated you, who meant to betray you completely.” (Aristotle)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Basic Topic

A

One of the four perspectives that Aristotle explained could be used to generate material about any subject matter: greater or less, possible and impossible, past fact, and future fact.
Ex: Topics include justice, peace, rights, and movie theaters.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Brain-storming

A

Within the planning act of the writing process, a technique used by a writer or speaker to generate many ideas, some of which he or she will later eliminate.
Ex: I brainstorm before history essays by writing down as many specific Exs as I can think of for the prompt.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Cloze Test

A

A test of reading ability that requires a person to fill in missing words in a text.
Ex: The SAT’s language portion contains questions modeled in this way.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Common topic

A

One of the perspectives, derived from Aristotle’s topics, used to generate material. The six common topics are definition, division, comparison, relation, circumstances, and testimony.
Ex: Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson’s political opinions can be the subject of a common topic, such as division.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Compound Subject

A

A sentence in which two or more nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses constitute the grammatical subject of a clause
Ex: The dog and the cat scurried away from the approaching car.

17
Q

Confirmation

A

In ancient Roman oratory, the part of a speech in which the speaker or writer could offer proof or demonstration of the central idea.
Ex: In Julius Caesar’s speech, the confirmation was scattered throughout.

18
Q

Conflict

A

The struggle of characters with themselves, with others, or with the world around them.
Ex: In The Grapes of Wrath, migrants conflict with property owners.

19
Q

Connotation

A

The implied meaning of a word, in contrast to its directly expressed “dictionary meaning.”
Ex: Home literally means one’s house, but implies feelings of family and security.

20
Q

Consulitng

A

Seeking help for one’s writing from a reader.

Ex: I often consult my parents.

21
Q

Dramatistic Pentad

A

The invention strategy, developed by Kenneth Burke, that invites a speaker or writer to create identities for the act, agent, agency, attitude, scene, and purpose in a situation.

22
Q

Effect

A

The emotional or psychological impact a text has on a reader or listener.
Ex: The Grapes Of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, causes the reader to have sympathy for migrant workers.

23
Q

Ellipsis

A

The omission of words, the meaning of which is provided by the overall context of a passage.
Ex: “Medical thinking . . . stressed air as the communicator of disease, ignoring sanitation or visible carriers” (Tuchman).

24
Q

Epanalepsis

A

Repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause.
Ex: Blood hath brought blood.

25
Q

Epithet

A

A word of phrase adding a characteristic to a person’s name.

Ex: Alexander the Great.

26
Q

Figurative Language

A

Language dominated by the use of schemes and tropes.

Ex: “The ground is thirsty and hungry.”

27
Q

Flashback

A

A part of the plot that moves back in time and then returns to the present.
Ex: In Oedipus Rex, both Oedipus and Iocaste recall previous events.

28
Q

Generalization

A

A point that a speaker or writer generations on the basis of considering a number of particular examples.
Ex: “All French people are rude.”

29
Q

Genre

A

A piece of writing classified by type.

Ex: Science Fiction.

30
Q

Investigating

A

Activities that writers use, during the writing process, to locate ideas and information.
Ex: For my research paper, I have investigated many sources in the library and online.

31
Q

Irnoy

A

Writing or speaking that implies the contrary of what is actually written or spoken.
Ex 1: “Of course I believe you,” Joe said sarcastically.
Ex 2: “I can’t describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her…I even hoped for a while that she’d throw me over” (Fitzgerald 157).

32
Q

Narration

A

In ancient Roman oratory, the part of a speech in which the speaker provided background information on the topic.
Ex: Julius Caesar used narration in many of his speeches.

33
Q

Pace

A

The speed with which a plot moves from one event to another.
Example: In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck paces the story somewhat slowly, interspersing it with main-idea chapters.

34
Q

Parallelism

A

A set of similarly structured words, phrases, or clauses that appears in a sentence or paragraph.
Ex 1: The dog ran, stumbled, and fell.
Ex 2: “After two years I remember the rest of that day, and that night and the next day…” (Fitzgerald 17).

35
Q

Parenthesis

A

An insertion of material that interrupts the typical flow of a sentence.
Ex: The dog (which was black) ran, stumbled, and fell.

36
Q

People’s Topics

A

The English translation of konnoi topoi, the four topics that Aristotle explained could be used to generate material about any subject matter; also called basic topics.
Ex: Topics include justice, peace, rights, and movie theaters.

37
Q

Periodic Sentence

A

A sentence with modifying elements included before the verb and/or complement.
Ex: “John, the tough one, the sullen kid who scoffed at any show of sentiment, gave his mother flowers.”

38
Q

Scheme

A

An artful variation from typical formation and arrangement of words or sentences.
Ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.