Rhetorical Devices and Structures How to sound really convincing and eloquent to win people over to your side!

Rhetoric Definition: Using language effectively to please or persuade. wordnetweb.princeton.edu

Rhetorical Structures How an author or speaker arranges what they will say in order please or persuade better. Two Types: Repetition Parallelism

Repetition Using the same words frequently to emphasize a message or point

Parallelism Repeating a grammatical structure or set of words Example: Martin Luther King “I Have a Dream” Speech “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.’” “I have a dream that one day the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.” “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.”

Rhetorical Devices Techniques used to persuade better Two Types: Analogy Restatement

Analogy Shows a comparison between two unlike things Can be metaphors “table of brotherhood” MLK Can be similes “freedom is like a beautiful kite that can go higher with the breeze” GH Bush Can be SAT problems: Hat is to head as shoe is to _____.

Restatement Expresses the same idea but in different words to help explain a point better Example: “The United States will continue to offer any assistance we can as Japan continues to recover…” “We are heartbroken by the unfolding tragedy in Japan.” Obama, 14 March 2011 Different words, same message: restated like your conclusion paragraphs!

Summary Repetition: Using the same words frequently to emphasize a message or point Parallelism: Repeating a grammatical structure or set of words Analogy: Shows a comparison between two different things Restatement: Expresses the same idea but in different words to help explain a point better