Rhetorical Devices Rhetorical Devices The tools we use

Rhetorical Devices

Rhetorical Devices The tools we use to persuade or communicate more effectively

Alliteration Allusion Analogy Assonance Hyperbole Metaphor Oxymoron Personification Simile

Anaphora Anadiplosis Epistrophe Antithesis Euphemism Exemplum Rhetorical Question Synecdoche

Anaphora When the beginning of a sentence or phrase is repeated at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase

"To raise a happy, healthy, and hopeful child, it takes a family; it takes teachers; it takes clergy; it takes business people; it takes community leaders; it takes those who protect our health and safety. It takes all of us. " Hillary Clinton, 1996 Democratic National Convention Address

Anadiplosis When the end of one sentence or phrase is repeated at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase

"When your cable company keeps you on hold, you get angry. When you get angry, you go blow off steam. When you go blow off steam, accidents happen. When accidents happen, you get an eye patch. When you get an eye patch, people think you're tough. ” DIRECTV Ad, 2012

Epistrophe When the end of a sentence or phrase is repeated at the end of the next sentence or phrase

"You're afraid to bleed. I said you're afraid to bleed. [As] long as the white man sent you to Korea, you bled. He sent you to Germany, you bled. He sent you to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese, you bled. You bleed for white people. But when it comes time to seeing your own churches being bombed and little black girls being murdered, you haven't got no blood. " Malcolm X, Message to the Grassroots

Antithesis Juxtaposing 2 contrasting ideas

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. ” Martin Luther King, Jr. , I Have a Dream

Euphemism Saying something in a more pleasant or respectful way rather than speaking literally—sometimes called “politically correct” talk

“His aunt passed away yesterday. ” vs “His aunt died yesterday. ”

Exemplum When a specific example is given to make a point

"Arachnids from all three groups possess various strengths which help them in their constant search for food. For example, the Delana spider, family Sparassidae, has the ability to jump to catch its prey. " from the movie Spider-Man

Rhetorical Question When the author asks a question but doesn’t expect an answer from the audience

“‘Can anyone look at the record of this Administration and say, ‘Well done? ’ Can anyone compare the state of our economy when the Carter Administration took office with where we are today and say, ‘Keep up the good work? ’ Can anyone look at our reduced standing in the world today and say, ‘Let's have four more years of this’? ” Ronald Reagan, 1980 Republican National Convention Acceptance Address

Synecdoche When part of something is used to represent the whole thing or vice versa

"Good evening. Elvis Presley died today. He was 42. Apparently, it was a heart attack. He was found in his home in Memphis not breathing. His road manager tried to revive him -- he failed. A hospital tried to revive him -- it failed. His doctor pronounced him dead at three o'clock this afternoon. ” NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor and David Brinkley

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