The Conventions of Rhetoric An Amateur’s Guide to Rhetorical Elements of Style

What is Rhetoric? w The Oxford American Dictionary defines rhetoric as “the art of effective speaking or writing; language designed to persuade or impress; eloquence, way with words, gift of gab.”

Ordinarily speaking, rhetoric is the art of writing and speaking persuasively, compellingly. It is made up of all of those strategies and techniques a writer will use to make a case, tell a story, or drive home a point. All of us are occasionally speakers and writers who try to sway, influence, or impress a point upon an audience, and can therefore benefit from mastering the art of rhetorical expression.

In other words, rhetoric deals with HOW we say or write what we say or write, and how those decisions affect our writing as a whole.

Rhetorical Analysis can not only help us better understand contextual meaning of texts that we read, but will also help us to identify those conventions of writing that, if properly employed, will help developing young writers improve the quality and clarity of their own writing.

Conventions? What conventions?

Some conventions of style include:

Syntax… w Deals with the grammatical arrangement of words - whether the subject is at the front or back of the sentence, whether the passage is written in passive or active voice, whether the sentence structure is simple, compound, or complex.

Diction... w Refers to the author’s choice of words, which can be presented on three different levels – formal (elevated), informal (every- day), and colloquial (slang / jargon).

Point of View w Often confused with tone, point of view deals mostly with consideration of other viewpoints, and is seen most often in the narrative or fiction genre. Sometimes and author will explore point of view in writing in order to establish a sense of audience

Language Devices w The English language truly is a masterpiece of poetry in motion. The sounds and images that we can create just by manipulating consonant sounds or through the repetition of vowel sounds (or via the infamous onomatopoeia) is tied intricately to meaning.

Tone... w This element stands alone on the Rhetorical Triangle, yet can be thought of in terms of style. Generally, the tone is the overall attitude the author has towards his / her subject matter - happy and carefree, or serious and condescending? Silly and enigmatic, or melancholy and desolate? No matter what the form of writing, the tone is key to readers’ perceptions of the author’s message.

Imagery w Tied to description and playing on humankind’s natural tendency to visualize every piece of information that we take in, creating imagery through the use of language is crucial to inviting the reader in to stay a while, to asking them to not only read what you’ve written, but to become a part of it themselves, to relate what you’ve written to their own existence.

Figures of Speech w From euphemisms to colloquialisms, similes to metaphors, hyperbole to personification, figures of speech play an important role in any writer’s work. They help the writer to go beyond just saying what they have to say; figures of speech help them say it with style!

Grammar / Phrasing w Getting the right word in the right place or the right phrase in the right space represents the poetic nature of the written word. The very nature of the English language offers writers the liberty of changing word order - the location of the subject and predicate, of the object or preposition - for the purpose of emphasis. An author’s choice in phrasing can give huge clues to his or her meaning.

Parallelisms w The precision of parallel structure not only offers a sense of balance in a sentence or piece of writing, but it can also be used to emphasize style, voice, or meaning in a writer’s work. Other times, writers choose NOT to create parallel structure in order to force the reader’s attention to a detail or point - to throw them intentionally off balance.

Repetition w Ever since Pavlov and his dogs demonstrated that repetition is a key to remembrance, everyone has followed suit, from parents to teachers to dog trainers. “Good” writers have figured out that repetition grabs the reader’s attention, first of all, and then aids in the reader’s remembrance of their main points, or an image, or other aspect of their writing.

Presentation of Detail w Details are the spice of life. We don’t want to just know that the school’s hottest couple has broken up - we want all the juicy tidbits of the how and where and why. The way an author chooses to present details - vivid and exciting or mechanical and matter of fact - will reveal much about the author’s meaning and intentions.

Through careful analysis of an author’s style, we can not only make connections between style and meaning, but we can apply that same connection to our own writing, which will help us to make conscious decisions about our own writing