Rhetorical Strategies

1. Rhetorical Strategies AP English Language “Rhetoric is the art of dressing up some unimportant matter so as to fool the audience for the time being.” ~Ezra Pound

2. but really . . . RHETORIC is . . . the art of effective expression (speaking & writing) and the persuasive use of language. Writers and speakers use rhetorical devices within the language in order to emphasize, explain, and persuade.

3. Why Study Rhetoric? We study rhetoric for two reasons: • to perceive how oral and written language is at work • to become proficient in applying the resources of language in our own speech and writing

4. DICTION: WORD CHOICE Different kinds of diction include: • formal diction (sounds sophisticated) • informal diction (everyday speech) • jargon • slang • colloquial diction • dialect

5. Figurative Speech figure of speech:a word or phrase used in a nonliteral sense to add rhetorical force to a spoken or written passage : calling her a crab is just a figure of speech.

6. Allegory a narrative that serves as an extended metaphor (w/ lots of symbols)

7. Verbal Irony (aka Sarcasm) The expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing and mean another. • Effects • Creates humor • Engages the reader on a personal level • Example • “Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;And Brutus is an honourable man. “ (Shakespeare'sMark Antony in Julius Caesar)

8. Simile An explicit comparison between two things using “like” or “as”. • “My love is as a fever longing stillFor that which longer nurseth the disease” William Shakespeare, Sonnet 147 • “...she tried to get rid of the kitten which had scrambled up her back and stuck like a burr just out of reach.” Louisa May Alcott

9. Metaphor An implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words; the word is used not in its literal sense, but in one analogous to it. Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage. " “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.”

10. Symbol Any object, person, place or action that has a meaning in itself and that also stands for something larger than itself

11. Apostrophe When a speaker addresses an absent person, an abstract quality, or something non-human as if it were present and capable of responding "For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel.Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him". (Mark Antony in Julius Caesar) "Science! True daughter of Old Time thou art!" Edgar Allan Poe

12. Paradox a contradictory statement which is nevertheless true or which reveals a truth • "War is peace.""Freedom is slavery.""Ignorance is strength."(George Orwell, 1984) • The Paradox of Catch-22"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to."(Joseph Heller, Catch-22, 1961)

13. Metonymy a word or phrase that is used to stand in for another word. Sometimes a metonymy is chosen because it is a well-known characteristic of the word. "He writes a fine hand.” "The pen is mightier than the sword.” "The House was called to order.” "We have always remained loyal to the crown.” "He is a man of the cloth."

14. Hyperbole Exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect. "At that time Bogotá was a remote, lugubrious city where an insomniac rain had been falling since the beginning of the 16th century.” Gabriel García-Márquez, Living to Tell the Tale "A man can have a belly you could house commercial aircraft in and a grand total of eight greasy strands of hair, which he grows real long and combs across the top of his head so that he looks, when viewed from above, like an egg in the grasp of a giant spider, plus this man can have B.O. to the point where he interferes with radio transmissions, and he will still be convinced that, in terms of attractiveness, he is borderline Don Johnson." Dave Barry, “Revenge of the Pork Person”

15. Understatement Deliberately making something seem less serious or important than it is for rhetorical effect.

16. Personification Attribution of human characteristics to a non-human thing or idea. “The only monster here is the gambling monster that has enslaved your mother! I call him Gamblor, and it's time to snatch your mother from his neon claws!" (Homer Simpson, The Simpsons) "The operation is over. On the table, the knife lies spent, on its side, the bloody meal smear-dried upon its flanks. The knife rests. And waits." (Richard Selzer, "The Knife." Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery)

17. Alliteration Repetition of initial consonant sounds. Used to call attention to a phrase and fix it in the reader’s/listener’s mind. “Let us go forth to lead the land we love.” - John F. Kennedy Inaugural speech "....we shall not falter, we shall not fail."   - G.W. Bush Address to Congress following 9-11-01 Terrorist Attacks.)

18. Assonance Repetition of the same vowel sounds in words close to each other. "In the over-mastering loneliness of that moment, his whole life seemed to him nothing but vanity." "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage, against the dying of the light. . . . Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

19. Consonance Repetition of consonant sounds in words close to each other. And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain . .

20. Onomatopoeia water plops into pond splish-splash downhill warbling magpies in tree trilling, melodic thrill whoosh, passing breeze flags flutter and flap frog croaks, bird whistles babbling bubbles from tap Onomatopoeia every time I see ya My senses tell me hubba And I just can't disagree. I get a feeling in my heart that I can't describe. . . It's sort of whack, whir, wheeze, whine Sputter, splat, squirt, scrape Clink, clank, clunk, clatter Crash, bang, beep, buzz Ring, rip, roar, retch Twang, toot, tinkle, thud Pop, plop, plunk, pow Snort, snuck, sniff, smack Screech, splash, squish, squeak Jingle, rattle, squeal, boing Honk, hoot, hack, belch." (Todd Rundgren, "Onomatopoeia")

21. Repetition The technique of repeating the same word and phrase • Highlights key messages • Reinforces important points • Links different parts of the text “Work, work, work, was scarcely more the order of the day than of the night.” (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass)

22. Anaphora The repetition of a word or phrase at the BEGINNING of successive phrases, clauses or lines. "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender." (British Prime Minister Winston Churchill)

23. Anaphora “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...

24. Epistrophe The repetition of a word or phrase at the END of successive phrases, clauses or lines. ... this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. "There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem." Lyndon B. Johnson in "We Shall Overcome"

25. Asyndeton Lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words. "We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardships, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." (J. F. Kennedy, Inaugural) "But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.“    (President Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)

26. Allusion A brief (usually indirect) reference to a person, place, or event, or to another literary work or passage. Classical (from ancient Greece and Rome) and Biblical allusions are some of the most popular.

27. Allusion By using allusion, you not only associate yourself with the ideas of the original text but also create a bond with the audience by evoking shared knowledge: In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee's narrator (Scout Finch) states that "Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself."

28. Allusion

29. Oxymoron A paradox reduced to two words: honest thief sweet sorrow darkness visible

30. Pun • Definition • A joking use of a word sounding the same as another • Effects • Engages the reader’s attention through the use of humour • Can be used to highlight an important idea • Often an interesting way of starting a text e.g. a headline • Example • Deciding where to bury him was a grave decision

31. Epithet an adjective phrase that qualifies a subject by naming a ke or important characteristic of the subject: sneering contempt peaceful dawn lazy road

32. Euphemism Substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant.

33. Jargon special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand :

34. Rhetorical Questions Most rhetorical questions prompt thought or focus discussion and are not meant to be answered literally. Rhetorical questions in persuasive texts often are meant to sway audiences to agree with the writers' arguments or opinions.

35. Rhetorical Questions “Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?” Kennedy’s rhetorical questions are addressed directly to the audience. The implied “yes” answer to each question, prompts listeners to accept the challenges named in the speech.

36. Parallelism • Writing structures that are grammatically parallel helps the reader understand the points better because they flow more smoothly. If there is anyone out there who still doubts…who still wonders…who still questions

37. Analogy Comparison between two things that are alike in certain respects. Used in persuasion to demonstrate the logic of one idea by showing how it is similar to an accepted idea. “Students are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them and then seal them up, but to help them reveal the riches within.”-Sydney Harris)

38. Juxtaposition The arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense, or character development. “Merry and tragical? Tedious and brief?That is hot ice, and wondrous strange snow!How shall we find the concord of this discord?”- Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 5, Scene 1

39. Antithesis a device that contrasts opposing ideas in a brief, grammatically balanced statement to express a truth "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."(Barry Goldwater - Republican Candidate for President 1964) "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more". (Brutus in:  " Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare) “To err is human; to forgive, divine.”

40. Synecdoche a word or phrase that is used to stand in for another word. (Wait, wasn’t that what we just wrote for metonymy?) Very similar to metonymy, a synedoche is a figure of speech using a word that is a part to represent a whole, a whole to represent a part, or a material to represent an object. "Bug" for any kind of insect or spider “Wheels” for a car “Society” for the elite level of society "Plastic" for a credit card"Pigskin" for a football