Advanced Rhetorical Devices Identification vs. Purpose vs. Effect

Review Vocabulary Alliteration – Same consonant sound at the start of words Anaphora – Repetition of a word or words at the start of a sentence or phrase Chiasmus – Reversal in syntax to make the second half have different meaning

Review Vocabulary Hyperbole – extreme statements not meant to be taken literally Allusion – Brief reference to a person, place, or thing of cultural significance Synecdoche – a figure of speech where a part is made to represent the whole

New Vocabulary

New Vocabulary Epic Simile Parallel Structure Polysyndeton

Epic Simile “It never takes longer than a few minutes, when they get together, for everyone to revert to the state of nature, like a party marooned by a shipwreck. That’s what a family is. Also the storm at sea, the ship, and the unknown shore. And the hats and the whiskey stills that you make out of bamboo and coconuts. And the fire that you light to keep away the beasts.” (Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union)

Parallel Structure

Polysyndeton

New Vocabulary Epic Simile Parallel Structure Polysyndeton

Epic Simile A detailed comparison spanning several lines Also referred to as an extended metaphor or a Homeric metaphor

Epic Simile Example: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” (Shakespeare’s As You Like It)

Epic Simile Example: “Bobby Holloway says my imagination is a three-hundred-ring circus. Currently I was in ring two hundred and ninety-nine, with elephants dancing and clowns cart wheeling and tigers leaping through rings of fire. The time had come to step back, leave the main tent, go buy some popcorn and a Coke, bliss out, cool down.” (Dean Koontz, Seize the Night)

Purpose vs. Effect Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader

Purpose vs. Effect Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader To draw a comparison between two seemingly unrelated things To show the idea in a new light

Purpose vs. Effect Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader To draw a comparison between two seemingly unrelated things To show the idea in a new light Attention is drawn to the section Information is understood with a different perspective

Parallel Structure Using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance Also called parallelism

Parallel Structure 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.

Parallel Structure Parallel Structure Chiasmus Anaphora Antithesis Epistrophe Antimetabole and many more…

Purpose vs. Effect Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader

Purpose vs. Effect To be grammatically correct Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader To be grammatically correct Creates a balanced flow of ideas Creates repetition and therefore rhythm

Purpose vs. Effect To be grammatically correct Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader To be grammatically correct Creates a balanced flow of ideas Creates repetition and therefore rhythm Makes it memorable Manipulates mood, usually in a way that is positive to the overall effect the piece is trying to have Strong persuasive qualities

Polysyndeton The use of several coordinating conjunctions in rapid succession

Polysyndeton Examples: In addition to the three standard weapons—the M-60, M-16, and M-79—they carried whatever presented itself, or whatever seemed appropriate as a means of killing or staying alive. They carried catch-as-catch-can. At various times, in various situations, they carried M-14s and CAR-15s and Swedish Ks and grease guns and captured AK-47s and Chi-Coms and RPGs and Simonov carbines and black market Uzis and .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handguns and 66 mm LAWs and shotguns and silencers and blackjacks and bayonets and C-4 plastic explosives. --from The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien

Polysyndeton Examples: “Let the whitefolks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and schools and lawns like carpets, and books, and mostly–mostly–let them have their whiteness.” --Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Purpose vs. Effect Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader

Purpose vs. Effect Speeds up or slows down rhythm Adds emphasis Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader Speeds up or slows down rhythm Adds emphasis Adds weight or insignificance to a list

Purpose vs. Effect Speeds up or slows down rhythm Adds emphasis Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader Speeds up or slows down rhythm Adds emphasis Adds weight or insignificance to a list Rhythm and emphasis draw attention to a section Manipulates mood