Download Rhetorical Devices

Notes: Introduction to Rhetoric
General Terms
rhetoric – the art of persuasion in speech and writing
rhetorical appeals (the three appeals) – three methods of persuasion identified by Aristotle
logos – persuasion using logic and/or facts
Example: “Let us begin with a simple proposition: What democracy requires is public debate, not information. Of
course it needs information too, but the kind of information it needs can be generated only by vigorous popular debate.
We do not know what we need to know until we ask the right questions, and we can identify the right questions only by
subjecting our ideas about the world to the test of public controversy. Information, usually seen as the precondition of
debate, is beter understood as its by product. When we get into arguments that focus and fully engage our attention,
we become avid seekers of relevant information. Otherwise, we take in information passively--if we take it in at all.”
- Christopher Lasch, "The Lost Art of Political Argument"
ethos – persuasion using the credibility (trustworthiness) of the speaker
Example: “As a self-employed businessman, I have learned firsthand what it is like to try to make ends meet in an
unstable economy being manipulated by out-of-touch politicians.”
– Jerry McCready, former gubernatorial candidate
pathos – persuasion using emotion
Example: “For me, commentary on war zones at home and abroad begins and ends with personal reflections. A few
years ago, while watching the news in Chicago, a local news story made a personal connection with me. The report
concerned a teenager who had been shot because he had angered a group of his male peers. This act of violence caused
me to recapture a memory from my own adolescence because of an instructive parallel in my own life with this boy who
had been shot. When I was a teenager some thirty-five years ago in the New York metropolitan area, I wrote a regular
column for my high school newspaper. One week, I wrote a colunm in which I made fun of the fraternities in my high
school. As a result, I elicited the anger of some of the most aggressive teenagers in my high school. A couple of nights
later, a car pulled up in front of my house, and the angry teenagers in the car dumped garbage on the lawn of my house
as an act of revenge and intimidation.”
- James Garbarino, "Children in a Violent World: A Metaphysical Perspective"
rhetorical question – a question asked for effect without expecting a
reply
Example: “Who here is so base that would be a bondman? If any,
speak, for him have I offended. Who here is so rude that would not
be a Roman? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who here is so
vile that will not love his country? If any, speak, for him have I
offended.” (Brutus, Julius Caesar, III.2.30-34)
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Argument – presentation of an idea or point of view with the intention of
convincing the audience
Claim – the point of an argument
Support – evidence to prove a claim
Claim + Support = Argument
Syntax Terms
Syntax – the way the author chooses to combine words, phrases or clauses
Consider:
1.
Length of sentences
2.
Unusual sentence patterns (“Ate I the sandwich.”)
3.
Sentence patterns used (5 sentence types)
4.
Kinds of sentences
a. Declarative – form a statement ex: We walked to the mall together.
b. Interrogative – ask a question ex: What did we do in class yesterday?
c. Imperative – make a request or command ex: Bring me some water.
d. Exclamatory – exclamations; powerful feelings or emotions ex: I’m leaving!
e.
Simple – independent clause (complete thought with subject & verb) ex: Joe plays football every
afternoon.
f. Compound – two independent clauses joined by a coordinator ex: Joe plays football and Mary plays
tennis.
g. Complex - an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses ex: When you handed in
your homework, you forgot to put your name on it.
parallelism/parallel structure/parallel construction – repetition of a grammatical pattern for effect
Example: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this
earth.”
antithesis – a type of parallelism in which two clauses are related by opposition of ideas
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Example: “I swear there ain’t no heaven, And I pray there ain’t no hell.”
- Song, “And When I Die,” by Blood, Sweat and Tears
chiasmus – a type of parallelism in which two clauses are related by reversal of grammatical structure
Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you—Ask what you can do for your country.”
- John F. Kennedy
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More Literary/Rhetorical Terms
allusion – a direct or indirect reference to something in literature,
mythology, religious texts, or history
Example: the Midas touch, a herculean effort
analogy – a similarity or comparison between two things for the sake of
explaining or making a point more vividly.
Example: “For answers successfully arrived at are solutions to
difficulties previously discussed, and one cannot untie a knot if he is
ignorant of it.” - Aristotle
aphorism – a short statement expressing a well-known truth (the author
is known)
Example: “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” –
Mahatma Gandhi
proverb/folk proverb – a short statement expressing a well-known truth
(the author is unknown)
Example: “A penny saved is a penny earned.”
paradox – a statement that appears to be self-contradictory but actually
conveys a truth
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Example: “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy
tales again." – C. S. Lewis, author of The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe, to his godchild
oxymoron – a type of figurative language that pairs two contradictory
words
Example: “cruel kindness,” “jumbo shrimp”
colloquialism – slang or informality in speech or writing; not acceptable in
formal writing or speeches except for specific effect
Example: “I’m gonna go get some raw grub, dawg, you in?”
understatement – presenting something as less significant than it is for
effect (opposite of hyperbole)
Example: Saying, “He had a bit to drink” to mean he was drunk.
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