Week 10 Terms Flashcards
Rogerian argument
Approach to argumentation based on the principle, articulated by psychotherapist Carl Rogers, that audiences respond best when they don’t feel threatened
-Stresses trust and urges those who disagree to find common ground
Sarcasm
From the Greek meaning “to tear flesh,” sarcasm involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something
- May use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic (that is, intended to ridicule).
- When well done, can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it is simply cruel
Satire
Use of humor to ridicule human weaknesses, vices or stupidity, with the hope of bringing about social reform
Scare tactic
Fallacy of argument presenting an issue in terms of exaggerated threats or dangers
Scheme
Figure of speech that involves a special arrangement of words, such as inversion
Semantics
Branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another
Subject complement
Word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it (the predicate nominative) or (2) describing it (the predicate adjective). These are defined below:
(1) the predicate nominative – a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject. It, like the predicate adjective, follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence.
Example: Julia Roberts is a movie star. movie star = predicate nominative, as it renames the subject, Julia Roberts
(2) the predicate adjective – an adjective, a group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is in the predicate of the sentence, and modifies, or describes, the subject. Example: Warren remained optimistic.
optimistic = predicate adjective, as it modifies the subject, Warren
Setting
Time and place of a literary work
Slippery slope
Fallacy of argument exaggerating the possibility that a relatively inconsequential action or choice today will have serious adverse consequences in the future
SOAPS
Mnemonic device that stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker
-Way to remember the various elements that make up the rhetorical situation
Spin
Kind of political advocacy that makes any fact or event, however unfavorable, serve a political purpose
Style
(1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. Some authors’ styles are so idiosyncratic that we can quickly recognize works by the same author. We can analyze and describe an author’s personal style and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author’s purpose. Styles can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, laconic, etc.
(2) Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. By means of such classification and comparison, we can see how an author’s style reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance or the Victorian period, or a literary movement, such as the romantic, transcendental, or realist movement
Stacking the deck
Fallacy of argument in which the writer shows only one side of an argument
Straw man argument
Fallacy of argument in which an opponent’s position is misrepresented as being more extreme than it actually is, so that it’s easier to refute
Structure
Organization and form of a work
