Rhetorical Terms- Accomplished List 1.

Allegory: an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric. Ex. Moby Dick by Herman Melville Allusion: a reference to a well-known person, place, or thing from literature, history, etc. Ex: Eden -3. Ambiguity: Use of language in which multiple meanings are possible. Ambiguity can be unintentional through insufficient focus on the part of the writer; in good writing, ambiguity is frequently intentional in the form of multiple connotative meanings, or situations in which either the connotative or the denotative meaning can be valid in a reading. 4. Anachronism: Use of historically inaccurate details in a text; for example, depicting a 19thcenturycharacter using a computer. Some authors employ anachronisms for humorous effect, and some genres, such as science fiction or fantasy, make extensive use of anachronism. Ex. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Cassius says, "The clock hath stricken three." Because there were no clocks that strike the hour in Roman times, this is an anachronism. 5. Analogy: Comparison of two things that are alike in some respects. Metaphors and similes are both types of analogy. Ex.You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard. The relationship between them began to thaw. Analysis: Detailed examination of the elements or structure of something, typically as a basis for discussion or interpretation. -7. Appeals: authority, emotion, logic Rhetorical arguments in which the speaker: either claims to bean expert or relies on information provided by experts (appeal to authority), attempts to affect the listener's personal feelings (appeal to emotion), or attempts to persuade the listener through use of deductive reasoning (appeal to logic). 8. Assonance: The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words. Ex. An old, mad, blind,despised, and dying king-- Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow through public scorn--mud from a muddy spring--

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Catharsis: Purification or cleansing of the spirit through the emotions of pity and terror as a witness to a tragedy. Ex. At the end of the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus blinds himself symbolizing his moral blindness of putting himself above the gods. The Greeks saw this as an affirmation of human values, rather than as an undeserved, inappropriate punishment.

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Clich: An expression that has been used so often that it has become trite or tedious. Ex. "If the shoe fits, wear it." 11. Climactic Phrasing (Climax Scheme): arrangement in order of increasing importance Ex: "Let a man acknowledge his obligations to himself, his family, his country, and his God."

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Colloquialism: a word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing Ex. yall, aint Consonance: repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity. Ex. boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong Ellipsis: deliberate omission of a word or of words which are readily implied by the context. An artful and arresting means of securing economy expression: Ex. And he to England shall along with you Epigraph: the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Ex. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is You are all a lost generation by Gertrude Stein. Epitaph: A piece of writing in praise of a deceased person. Ex. A Loving Husband (Wife) And Father (Mother), Forever In Our Hearts. Ethos: In dramatic literature, the moral element that determines a character's actions, rather than thought or emotion. Ex. When I am the nominee, I will offer a clear choice. John McCain won't be able to say that I ever supported this war in Iraq, because I opposed it from the beginning. Senator McCain said the other day that we might be mired for a hundred years in Iraq, which is reason enough to not give him four years in the White House. If we had chosen a different path, the right path, we could have finished the job in Afghanistan, and put more resources into the fight against bin Laden; and instead of spending hundreds of billions of dollars in Baghdad, we could have put that money into our schools and hospitals, our road and bridges and that's what the American people need us to do right now.

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18. Eulogy: A speech or writing in praise of a person or thing; an oration in honor of a deceased

person. Ex. I remember our last talk together, we talked about death and how our funerals should be. My brother didnt like to see people cry, especially his family. We only talked about this as a joke and now I realize why he mentioned it. He told me he wanted to have rides at his funeral or anything that would make people happy. I jokingly answered him that I could easily arrange for it but Id have to face moms wrath. He just answered thatll no longer be my problem. That talk happened just last month. Lets just be thankful for all the special moments that my brother has left us. And with that, I hope that my brother will continue to live on within our hearts and minds. 19. Euphemism: a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. Ex. He went to his final reward is a common euphemism for he died. Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses collateral damage to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation. 20. Expletive: A single word or short phrase intended to emphasize surrounding words. Commonly,expletives are set off by commas. Ex: in fact, of course, after all, certainly Genre: a type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres. Ex. Mystery, Science Fiction, Biography, Romance, Religion, etc. Homily: literally "sermon", or any serious talk, speech, or lecture providing moral or spiritual advice. Ex. All those quotes from "Poor Richard's Almanac," such as "A penny saved is a penny earned" or "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Hyperbole: the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of the emphasis or heightened effect. Hyperbole can be serviceable figure of speech if we learn to use it with restraint and for a calculated effect. Under stress of emotion, it will slip out naturally and seem appropriate. Ex. Its really ironical...I have gray hair. I really do. The one side of my head--the right side--is full of millions of gray hairs. -24. Inductive: Conclusion or type of reasoning whereby observation or information about a part of a class is applied to the class as a whole. Contrast with deductive.

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Inference: a conclusion one can draw from the presented details. Ex. When you see that the sky is gray, you can infer that it is likely to rain while in the observation. 26. Juxtaposition: Placing of two items side by side to create a certain effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose. Ex. the young and the old; peasents and aristocrats; romantic Romeo and blazing Tybalt; the quiet whispers of lovers and the loud sounds of the crowds 27. Logos: means persuading by the use of reasoning. The logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument. Ex. Apple has come down from $363 in February to $316 Monday. Furthermore, that masks the fact that the company is sitting on a ton of net cash. At the end of the last quarter, cash, securities and other liquid assets exceeded liabilities by $51 billion, or around $55 a share. This may top $60 by the end of this quarter. So the cash-free stock price the enterprise value of the business may only be around $260. Thats barely 10 times forecast earnings of $25 for the fiscal year ending in September. Its just nine times next years forecast earnings. And its only around 2.3 times this years sales.