Rhetorical Terms Review #4 Jargon, Analogy, Understatement, Paradox, Antithesis, Satire

Jargon (Diction) DEF: Specialized/idiomatic diction endemic to a group with a particular interest. (ex. Profession or hobby) Characterized by precise and definitions known to the group. Ex: Military, Science, Education Slang tends to be informal and inclusive.

Analogy (Detail, Structure) DEF: A comparison between two things: one known and one to be defined. PURPOSE: The inference that if two similar things are alike in some ways, they will be alike in others.

Analogy Examples Teaching Kids to share  Marathons require incremental training that builds skill and endurance  Boys tend to solve problems with fights  Incentives for charity Preparing for the AP Test will take all year. Men in power solve problems with war

Understatement (Diction) DEF: Deliberately expressing an idea as less important than it is. PURPOSE: Determined by context (think about “Wax Poetic”) Tact and Politeness: - Your uncle’s had a bit to drink. - We’re having a little problem. (As your house floods.) -T-The recent hurricane has provided us with a few challenges.

Understatement Con’t Ironic and Comic Effect: -S-Stalin killed a few people. -L-Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her person for the worse. -- Jonathan Swift

Antithesis (syntax) Presentation of Opposites in Parallel Form United we Stand; divided we fall. “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” -MLK

Paradox A statement that seems contradictory on the surface but reveals a deeper truth. “If we want peace, we must prepare for war.” “When the white man turns tyrant, it is his own freedom he destroys.” - Orwell “…an individual who breaks an unjust law…is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” - MLK

Satire (Tone  Purpose) DEF: a style of writing that ridicules human vice or weakness PURPOSE: to correct or criticize the subject of the satire. (often persuasive in aim) Satire usually takes something well-known and draws absurd parallels or conclusions to show flaws. Satire can use many tactics including, wax poetic, understatement, and mock-serious/heroic. Irony is frequently present.

Satire Examples Headlines from The Onion “Teen Lands Job With Fortune 500 Company” “Majority Of Americans Never Use Physical Education After High School”