Advanced Rhetorical Devices Identification vs. Purpose vs. Effect

Review Vocabulary Parallel Structure – Anaphora – Chiasmus – Antithesis –

Review Vocabulary Parallel Structure – using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance 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 Antithesis –Two opposing ideas placed together to achieve a contrasting effect

Review Vocabulary Hyperbole – Allusion – Synecdoche -

Review Vocabulary Hyperbole - Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally Allusion - a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance Synecdoche - a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

Review Vocabulary Extended Metaphor – Polysyndeton – Periphrasis -

Review Vocabulary Extended Metaphor - A detailed comparison spanning several lines Polysyndeton - The use of several coordinating conjunctions in rapid succession Periphrasis - The use of excessive or longer words to convey a meaning which could have been conveyed with a shorter expression or fewer words

New Vocabulary

New Vocabulary Asyndeton Epistrophe Meiosis Pronounced ay – SIN– di - tawn Epistrophe Pronounced eh – PIS – trah - fee Meiosis Pronounced mee – OH - sis

Asyndeton The practice of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses (it lacks and, but, or, etc.) The opposite of polysyndeton

Asyndeton Example: Regular writing – Using asyndeton – He eats, drinks, and sleeps. Using asyndeton – He eats, drinks, sleeps.

Asyndeton Example: “This is the villain among you who deceived you, who cheated you, who meant to betray you completely.” From Aristotle’s Rhetoric

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

Purpose vs. Effect Speeds up rhythm Gives a spontaneous mood Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader Speeds up rhythm Gives a spontaneous mood Produces distinctive, confident voice

Purpose vs. Effect Speeds up rhythm Gives a spontaneous mood Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader Speeds up rhythm Gives a spontaneous mood Produces distinctive, confident voice Speeding up a text can make a list feel overwhelming Suggests the list may be incomplete Willingness to break grammatical rules for effect shows confidence, which equals persuasion

Epistrophe The repetition of a word or words at the end of successive clauses or sentences The opposite (sort of) of anaphora

Epistrophe Examples: Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. . . . . An’ when our folk eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build – why, I’ll be there…..” --from The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

Epistrophe Examples: The big sycamore by the creek was gone. The willow tangle was gone. The little enclave of untrodden bluegrass was gone.  --Robert Penn Warren, A Romance of Our Time

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

Purpose vs. Effect (EXACTLY THE SAME AS ANAPHORA) Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader (EXACTLY THE SAME AS ANAPHORA) Adds rhythm to a text Adds emphasis to a section Adds sense of weight behind words

Purpose vs. Effect (EXACTLY THE SAME AS ANAPHORA) Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader (EXACTLY THE SAME AS ANAPHORA) Adds rhythm to a text Adds emphasis to a section Adds sense of weight behind words Rhythm makes a section more memorable Emphasis leads the reader to the most important points Weight adds credibility to the speaker and the occasion

Meiosis Intentional understatement that dismisses a person or event, but therefore draws attention to its importance The opposite of hyperbole

Meiosis Example: When Mercutio is dying from a stab wound in Romeo and Juliet, he refers to his wound in the following way: "a scratch, a scratch."

Meiosis Example: “I’ve got a nice place here,” he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly. Turning me around by one arm, he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep, pungent roses, and a snub-nosed motor-boat that bumped the tide offshore. --The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

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

Purpose vs. Effect Draws attention to the point of understatement Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader Draws attention to the point of understatement Creates humor and/or verbal irony Creates voice Achieves a contrast of the overuse of hyperbole

Purpose vs. Effect Draws attention to the point of understatement Author’s Purpose Effect on the Reader Draws attention to the point of understatement Creates humor and/or verbal irony Creates voice Achieves a contrast of the overuse of hyperbole Understatement may be persuasive or memorable Humor and/or irony might be (duh) funny In a world of extreme exaggeration, people appreciate and respond to intentional understatement