RHETORICAL DEVICES English III

Rhetorical Devices  Tools a writer/speaker uses to communicate clearly to his/her audience.  Used for persuasion or argumentation

Rhetorical Questions  Definition: A question that needs no answer.  The answer might be obvious, or the speaker assumes everyone agrees:  “Do we want to go out there and give up?”  The question might lead the audience to think seriously about an issue the speaker will address:  “I ask you, why then has Great Britain stationed an army off our coast, if not to prepare for war?”

Antithesis  Definition: contrasting ideas presented in parallel structure for the sake of emphasis. Examples:  “It would be dreadful to suffer this wrath one moment, but you must suffer it to all eternity.”  “it is a question of freedom or slavery”  “judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”

Simile and Metaphor  Definition: A comparison to an unlike item (using “like” or “as” for simile)  Used to help an audience understand a concept or a situation by comparing it to something more familiar Ex:  “We must avert the storm that is coming”  “Much as one holds a spider over the fire”  “The bow of God’s wrath is bent”

Allusion  Definition: a reference to a familiar person, event, etc. in mythology, history, or the Bible  Used to help an audience relate to the topic  Might make the situation seem more important Ex:  “betrayed by a kiss”  “a Herculean task”

Repetition  Definition: using the same phrase or structure over and over  Used to emphasize an author’s main point:  “in the hands of an angry god”  “I have a dream”  Used to provide predictable structure for key points:  “there is nothing of your own, nothing that you have ever done, nothing you can do..”  “work together, pray together, struggle together”

Parallelism  Definition: using the same grammatical structure in a series of verbs, nouns, or phrases  Used to make an argument balanced and add easy to follow points of emphasis. Ex: “the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them” “We have waited, watched, and hoped for too long. Now is the time for action!”

Rhetorical Devices  Rhetorical Questions  Antithesis  Simile and Metaphor  Allusions  Repetition  Parallelism

Match the Quote to the Rhetorical Device being used. 1. “We are apt to shut our eyes to a painful truth and listen to the song of the siren.” 2. “We have done everything to avert the storm that is coming.” 3. “Give me liberty, or give me death!” 4. “We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated…” A. Antithesis B. Metaphor C. Allusion D. Parallelism

Match the Quote to the Rhetorical Device(s) being used. 1. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. 2. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. 3. I have a dream that one day the sons of former slaves and former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. A. Antithesis B. Metaphor C. Allusion D. Parallelism  Hint: More than one device is being used!