Rhetorical Devices: Ambiguity and Aphorism

Ambiguity “The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence or passage”

Examples (unintentional)

Examples (INTENTIONAL, OR purposeful) Ambiguity is used purposely in many art forms such as cinema and poetry. It allows the audience to create their own perceptions of a movie ending, or other plot points or the meaning of a poem. Movies with ambiguous endings: Space Odyssey (2001), American Psycho (2000), Blade Runner (1982), Inception (2010), The Prisoners (2013)

Examples (Intentional, or purposeful) Poem with ambiguity: “O Rose thou art sick. The invisible worm, That flies in the night In the howling storm: Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy; And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy” By William Blake

Aphorism “A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author’s point.” In other words, it’s a “terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation.”

Examples “Do. or do not. There is no try.” https://youtu.be/BQ4yd2W50No “A penny saved is a penny earned” “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”