THESE ARE A FEW RHETORICAL DEVICES THAT AMERICAN RHETORIC.COM DEFINES AlliterationAlliteration Allusion Anadiplosis Analogy Anaphora Anesis Antimetabole Antithesis Aposiopesis Appositio Assonance Asyndeton Catachresis Climax Conduplicatio Diacope Distinctio Enthymeme Enumeratio Epanalepsis Epistrophe Epitheton Epizeuxis Euphemismos Exemplum Expletive Hyperbole Hypophora Metaphor Oxymoron Paradox Parallelism Personification Polysyndeton Rhetorical Question Scesis Onomaton Sententia Simile Symploce SynecdocheAllusionAnadiplosisAnalogy AnaphoraAnesisAntimetaboleAntithesis AposiopesisAppositioAssonanceAsyndeton CatachresisClimaxConduplicatioDiacope DistinctioEnthymemeEnumeratioEpanalepsis EpistropheEpithetonEpizeuxisEuphemismos ExemplumExpletiveHyperboleHypophora MetaphorOxymoronParadoxParallelism PersonificationPolysyndetonRhetorical QuestionScesis OnomatonSententiaSimile SymploceSynecdoche
Rhetorical Question Allusion Alliteration Hyperbole Metaphor and Simile HOWEVER…LET’S ZOOM INTO THESE DEVICES:
Using the BLUE highlighter function, highlight the questions in Maya Angelou’s eulogy for Coretta Scott King. ACTIVITY
RHETORICAL QUESTION—a question whose answer is obvious or implied. NOTE: It is a more engaging way of presenting simple statements as it involves the audience and gets them thinking. RHETORICAL DEVICES
ALLITERATION repeats the same sound or letter beginning several words in sequence. RHETORICAL DEVICES
REPETITION is to repeat words or phrases. Sometime the same sentence structure is used, which is called parallel structure (I wrote, and called, and met her frequently), in a sense, could be repetition for effect. RHETORICAL DEVICES
METAPHOR is the comparison of two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other. SIMILE or ANALOGY, one thing is like something else. RHETORICAL DEVICES
ALLUSION—a brief or casual reference to a famous person, historical event, place, or work of art (these must be well known). NOTE: The best sources for allusions are literature, history, Greek myth, and the Bible, as they must be easily understood. RHETORICAL DEVICES This is a tough one!
Go back to your own writing and try to use these devices in as many ways as you can. MEET THIS CHALLENGE