1. Techniques, Definitions, and Examples Rhetorical Techniques: Paradox: A self-contradictory statement that often contains some truth. Example: “I can resist anything but temptation.” -Oscar Wilde “I must be cruel to be kind.” - Hamlet

2. Irony Verbal Irony: The use of words that express a meaning different from their literal sense. Watch for attitude and tone of voice, as well as situation. Example: “I sure am excited for my root canal later today!” Situational Irony: A situation in which actions have an effect that is the opposite of their intent, so that the outcome is different from the expectation.

3. Irony Continued Example: A fire station burning down. A marriage counselor getting a divorce. Dramatic Irony: Irony present in speeches that is grasped by the audience but not by the characters in the play. Occurs when there is a gap in knowledge between the audience and the characters.

4. Symbolism The use of objects, people, or actions to represent something greater than themselves. Example: The conch in Lord of the Flies is a symbol of _____________. Example: Martin Luther King Jr. is a symbol for courage.

5. Allusion An indirect or passing reference to another work of art or literature. Allusions have varying degrees of subtlety. Examples of allusion: “Pizza was her Achilles’ heel.” Biblical Allusions: Present in the grapes of wrath. “A good Samaritan helped me pick up my papers in the hallway.”

6. Caricature A device used to exaggerate certain features of a person. Example: “Mr. Chadband is a large yellow man, with a fat smile, and a general appearance of having a good deal of train oil in his system. Mrs. Chadband is a stern, severe-looking, silent woman. Mr. Chadband moves softly and cumbrously, not unlike a bear who has been taught to walk upright. He is very much embarrassed about the arms, as if they were inconvenient to him.”

7. Parallelism Parallel structure presents words, phrases, or even whole passages in the same grammatical structure. Example: “To think carefully and to write productively are interrelated goals.” “Finding a good school, getting a recommendation, and researching financial aid are my goals for the summer.”

8. Tragic Hero A person of noble birth with heroic qualities. This hero exhibits a fatal flaw and is unable to escape his or her fate, but still wins the admiration of the audience. The tragic hero is an example of an archetype, a recurring symbol or motif in literature that has been imitated throughout history.

9. Epiphany A moment of revelation and insight. Comes from a Greek word meaning appearance or manifestation. Epiphany in literature occurs when the main character learns something vital that changes his or her behavior. Example: Homer realizing in the Simpson’s movie that “maybe the world doesn’t revolve around me.”

10. Understatement This one is more self-explanatory. Presents something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. Example: “I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I just have this tumor in my brain.” -Holden Caufield from The Catcher in the Rye

11. Diction Diction is a fancy way of saying word choice. It is measured by the use of distinctive vocabulary to affect the style and tone of a work. If you are asked to judge an author’s tone, look carefully in the text for his or her diction.

12. Connotation The associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its primary meaning. If you “connote” something, you are using a suggestive word. Example: He slithered into the room. vs. He walked into the room.

13. Syntax Syntax refers to the order of words in a sentence and can vary in terms of complexity. The simplest form is subject+verb+object. Poets and writers in general will often vary syntax to affect tone and style. Example: I cannot go out. Go out I cannot.

14. Antithesis Antithesis, literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.rhetorical device Example: “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” “ “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter ofdespair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct toHeaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

15. Apostrophe A device used to address someone, usually an imaginary character, in the second person. Example: “ Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me; if ye really pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as nought; but if not, depart, depart, and leave me in darkness.” -Mary Shelly

16. Oxymoron Oxymoron, plural oxymora, is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. Oxymoron is a phrase, whereas paradoxes are conveyed through a sentence or group of sentences. Example: Jumbo shrimp Cruel kindness Awfully pretty Original Copies

17. Chiasmus Chiasmus is a device in which a clause is inverted and repeated to balance against each itself. Example: “Love as if you would one day hate, and hate as if you would one day love.” “Do I love you because you are beautiful, or are you beautiful because I love you?”

18. A good resource http://literarydevices.net/