RHETORICAL DEVICES AND TERMS Tucker 2016 ALLEGORY Definition

RHETORICAL DEVICES AND TERMS Tucker, 2016

ALLEGORY Definition: (noun) a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Example: Terrible Things by Eve Bunting

ALLITERATION Definition: Repetition of first consonant sounds. Example: Ralph’s reindeer rose rapidly and ran round the room.

ALLUSION Definition: an indirect or passing reference. v. Historical allusion v. Literary allusion v. Biblical allusion v. Greek allusion v. Shakespearean allusion Example: I wear this crown of thorns Upon my liars chair Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair

ANAPHORA Definition: Figure of repetition that occurs when the first word or set of words in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases; repetition of the initial word(s) over successive phrases or clauses. Example: “O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long? ”

ANASTROPHE Definition: a scheme in which the writer inverts the words in a sentence, saying, or idea. By invert, we mean that the words are written out of order. Poets often use anastrophe in order to help maintain rhythm or a rhyme scheme. Example: http: //study. com/academy/lesson/anastrophe-definition-examples. html

ANECDOTE Definition: a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. Example: From Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Oh, I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts’ secrets, Igor. Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished.

APPOSITIVES Definition: noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words. Look at these appositive examples, all of which rename insect: The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table. Examples: 1. That ladybug, an insect, just landed on the rose bush. 2. Mr. Harrison, the principal at my school, wears a tie every day. 3. I like spaghetti, an Italian dish with noodles and sauce. 4. Marcus, my sister's hamster, likes to run in a wheel. 5. The play was brilliant, and I enjoyed Mary, the best actress in our school. 6. I really like my grand father's horse Chester.

ASSONANCE Definition: In poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel (usually with in words, not always at the beginning like with alliteration) Examples: We light fire on the mountain. I feel depressed and restless. Go and mow the lawn. Johnny went here and there and everywhere. The engineer held the steering to steer the vehicle.

ASYNDETON Definition: the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence. Example: A. One type of asyndeton is used between words, phrases and a sentence. For example: “Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, Shrunk to this little measure? ” (Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare) B. Second type is used between sentences or clauses. For example: Without looking, without making a sound, without talking (Oedipus at Colonus by Sophecles)

AXIOM Definition: a statement that everyone believes is true, such as "supply equals demand" or "the only constant is change. “ Examples: §Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film. §He who laughs last, thinks slowest. §A day without sunshine is like, well, night. §On the other hand, you have different fingers. §Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. §Back up my hard drive? How do I put it in reverse? §I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory. §When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty. §Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it.

CONSONANCE Definition: Consonance may be regarded as the counterpart to the vowelsound repetition known as assonance. Alliteration is a special case of consonance where the repeated consonant sound is at the stressed syllable, as in "few flocked to the fight" or "around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran". Examples: 1. Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter-repetition of the "t, " and "r" sounds. 2. The lint was sent with the tent-repetition of the "nt" sound. 3. I think I like the pink kite-repetition of the "k" sound. 4. I held my nose in the breeze so I would not sneeze on your kneesrepetition of the "z" sound (caused by "z" and "s").

EM DASHES Definition: Em dashes set apart parenthetical phrases or clauses in a sentence. In this use, em dashes are similar tocommas and parentheses, but there are subtle differences. For example, em dashes are used when a parenthetical remark contains an internal comma or would otherwise sound awkward if enclosed by commas. Perhaps a useful way to think of the em dash is as a pause or parenthesis with somewhat more emphasis than a comma and somewhat less than parentheses. Example: Since 2007, the consensus of the economic establishment—bankers, policymakers, CEOs, stock analysts, pundits—has been catastrophically wrong

EXACT RHYME Definition: Exact rhyme is the repetition of the same stressed vowel sound as well as any consonant sounds that follow the vowel. For example, look at the word pair 'now' and 'cow'. The exact same vowel sound is repeated with no change in consonant sounds after the vowel sound. Only the 'n' and the 'c' sounds differ, as they appear before the repeated vowel sound. It is important to remember that the spelling does not have to be exact, it is only the sound created that matters in exact rhyme.

HYPERBOLE Definition: obvious and intentional exaggeration. Example: 1. My grandmother is as old as the hills. 2. Your suitcase weighs a ton! 3. She is as heavy as an elephant! 4. I am dying of shame. 5. I am trying to solve a million issues these days.

PARALLELISM Parallelism is the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. Parallelism examples are found in literary works as well as in ordinary conversations. Examples: Like father, like son. The escaped prisoner was wanted dead or alive. Easy come, easy go. Whether in class, at work or at home, Shasta was always busy. Flying is fast, comfortable, and safe.

PARALLELISM CONTINUED Iso colon: repeats 2 phrases (Example: Like father, like son). Tri colon: repeats 3 phrases (Example: Whether in class, at work or at home, Shasta was always busy) Tetra colon: repeats 4 phrases (Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. . )

APOSTROPHE Definition: In literature, apostrophe is a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation “O”. A writer or a speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech. Example: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. ”

INTERNAL RHYME Definition: Internal rhyme is a poetic device which can be defined as metrical lines in which its middle words and its end words rhymes with each other. It is also called middle rhyme, since it comes in the middle of lines. Examples: “While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. ”

IRONY Definition: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality. 1. Dramatic Irony 2. Situational Irony 3. Verbal Irony

METAPHOR Definition: Comparison of 2 things without using like or as Examples: The assignment was a breeze. (This implies that the assignment was not difficult. ) It is going to be clear skies from now on. (This implies that clear skies are not a threat and life is going to be without hardships) The skies of his future began to darken. (Darkness is a threat; therefore, this implies that the coming times are going to be hard for him. ) Her voice is music to his ears. (This implies that her voice makes him feel happy)

MOOD Definition: In literature, mood is a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions. Example: “There was no moon, and everything beneath lay in misty darkness: not a light gleamed from any house, far or near all had been extinguished long ago: and those at Wuthering Heights were never visible…” How does this make you feel?

OXYMORON Definition: a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e. g. , faith unfaithful kept him falsely true). Examples: • Great Depression • Jumbo shrimp • Cruel to be kind • Pain for pleasure • Clearly confused • Act naturally

PARADOX Definition: At the most basic level, a paradox is a statement that is self contradictory because it often contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true at the same time. Examples: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. You can save money by spending it. I'm nobody. "What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young. " Wise fool "I can resist anything but temptation. "

PERSONIFICATION Definition: Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings. Look at my car. She is a beauty, isn’t it so? The wind whispered through dry grass. The flowers danced in the gentle breeze. Time and tide waits for none. The fire swallowed the entire forest

REFRAIN Definition: Refrain is a verse, a line, a set, or a group of some lines that appears at the end of stanza, or appears where a poem divides into different sections; it means to repeat. Refrain is a poetic device that repeats at regular intervals in different stanzas. Examples: 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… And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

SIMILE Definition: Comparison using like or as Examples: Our soldiers are as brave as lions. Her cheeks are red like a rose. He is as funny as a monkey. The water well was as dry as a bone. He is as cunning as a fox.

SLANT RHYME Definition: Slant rhyme is one of the major poetic devices. It is also called an imperfect rhyme, half rhyme, near rhyme or oblique rhyme. It can be defined as a rhyme in which the stressed syllables of ending consonants match, however the preceding vowel sounds do not match. Examples: If love is like a bridge or maybe like a grudge, and time is like a river that kills us with a shiver, then what have all these mornings meant but aging into love?

SYMBOLISM Definition: Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word spoken by someone may have a symbolic value. For instance, “smile” is a symbol of friendship. Similarly, the action of someone smiling at you may stand as a symbol of the feeling of affection which that person has for you. Symbols do shift their meanings depending on the context they are used in. “A chain”, for example, may stand for “union” as well as “imprisonment”. Thus, symbolic meaning of an object or an action is understood by when, where and how it is used. It also depends on who reads them. Example: The dove is a symbol of peace. A red rose or red color stands for love or romance.

TONE Definition: Tone, in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject. Examples: “And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing. ” What language establishes the tone in this passage?

EPIPHORA (LIKE ANAPHORA, BUT AT THE END) Definition: Epiphora, also known as epistrophe, is a stylistic device in which a word or a phrase is repeated at the end of successive clauses. Example: If you did know to whom I gave the ring, If you did know for whom I gave the ring And would conceive for what I gave the ring And how unwillingly I left the ring, When nought would be accepted but the ring,