Rhetorical devices Tricks to make you listen Figurative

Rhetorical devices Tricks to make you listen!

Figurative language and imagery (bildspråk) O To paint a picture O To make you feel O To activate your senses O To make texts more vivid and fun! O To make texts easier to read and remember O To play with words

Everyone uses it And that includes YOU!

Metaphor O A metaphor is a figure of speech comparing two things, saying that one is the other Examples: O His whole life was a journey towards fulfilment O You’re the devil in disguise! O To him, she was a field of gold O Inside the guts of the lock he heard a rattling sound

famous metaphor ”All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances” — William Shakespeare, As You Like It Shakespeare compares the world to a stage and the people to actors who come and leave

Simile O A simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, introduced with the word "like”, ”than” or "as”

Examples of similes O The room was as damp as the salty blue ocean O It was heavier than iron O Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get O His wheelchair was stuck like a cork in a wine-bottle (From Misery) O …It sounded as loud as a trackstarter’s gun (From Misery)

Metaphor or simile? If we compare a fast person to a bullet, we might write… O "John was a record-setting runner and as fast as a speeding bullet. ” Simile or metaphor? O "John was a record-setting runner. That speeding bullet could zip past you without you even knowing he was there. ” Simile or metaphor?

Exercise 1 Complete the following sentences O He was as lonely as… O She was as happy as… O He was as hungry as… O She was as fast as… O Life is like…

Exercise 2 Compare yourself with: O A sport O A fruit O A country or city O A kind of music or artist “If I were a sport I would be… Motivate your choices!

Exercise 3 O Compare a day at school with a soccer game

Personification O To make a personification, you take a ”dead” object and give it life by describing it as if it were alive. Thereby you have a stronger chance of gaining empathy from your audience. Example: His hat sat on his head like a curled-up animal. Racism in our society is spreading like wildfire

Hyperbole O An exaggeration that you use to illustrate just how grave you consider your point to be I’d catch a grenade for ya Throw my hand on a blade for ya I’d jump in front of a train for ya You know I’d do anything for ya Bruno Mars

Alliteration O The repetition of a letter or a sound at the beginning of a word or a phrase. Alliterations make it easier for a listener to remember, and also to believe in your idea.

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

Triad O Three of something. A very compelling device when used in the right place. O Triad of words Our main objectives are: Progress, Proceeds and Production! O Triad of phrases Everyone’s goal in life is to prosper; to lead a long and healthy life, and finally; to be free!

Repetition O By repetition of one word or phrase you can make the audience remember your message more easily. Example: Our nation needs this debate, we want this debate, we will win this debate! 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.

Antithesis O When two opposites are introduced together to create a contrasting effect. O ”A figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure. ”

Examples antithesis O Many are called, but few are chosen O When there is need of silence, you speak, and when there is need of speech, you are dumb; when you are present, you wish to be absent, and when absent, you desire to be present; O It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …

Rhetorical question O Simply put, a rhetorical question is one where you do not expect an answer. The purpose is simply to make your audience think about what you have just said. Example Can we really expect teachers to grade all these papers? Is it not expected of our government to address these kinds of issues?

Intertextuality O A reference inside one text to another text that the reader or audience can recognise. To create a frame of reference and spark recognition that can make the reader/listener feel included. For example, references to the bible can be effective if the audience knows their bible.

Example intertextuality I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. " M. L. K. refers to what document in his speech from 1963 in front of 250 000 Americans? Why? Effect?

Emotional language O A low form of rhetoric? A ”dirty” trick? Examples: Imagine it was you who was being thrown out into the freezing cold snow! What if it was your friends, or even your own children who had to grow up under those circumstances?

Onomatopoeia O Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a sound Examples: O Tic toc (the ticking of the clock) O Meow (the sound of a cat) O Oink (the sound of pigs) O Quack (duck) O Bark (dog) O Roar (lion, tiger)

Example of onomatopoeia O The Jabberwocky?