Rhetorical Strategies

Rhetorical Strategies

Mrs. Webb English 5-6 2016

What Is Rhetoric?

And Why Bother Studying

It?

Rhetoric ^~

the art of effective expression (speaking and writing) and the

persuasive use of language

We study rhetoric because it helps

us to…

better appreciate appeals to our ethos, pathos, and logos

become more effective persuasive speakers and writers

Rhetorical strategies

The strategies that follow are just some of the ways to make your speaking/writing more persuasive…

Repetitio n

a literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times

Repetition is a rhetorical technique used to add emphasis, unity, rhythm, balance,

and/or power.

Examples:

● Anaphora

● Antistrophe

● Polysyndeton

Example:

The coach told the players: “You will get some sleep tonight, you will not eat too much right before the game, and you will do some warm-up exercises before the game.”

Tricolon

➔ a list of three, or a sentence

➔ The cumulative effect of three has a powerful effect on an audience.

Example:

‘the backyards, living rooms and front porches’

➔ builds a strong picture of “plain folks”

Rhetorica l

Question

Example:

“How much longer must our people endure this injustice?”

question you ask without expecting an answer

A rhetorical question is used to encourage the reader/listener to reflect

on what the answer must be.

Juxtaposi tion

two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side Juxtaposition is used for the purpose of

developing comparisons and contrasts.

Example:

“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 of despair, we had

everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to

Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”

(Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)

Figurativ e

Language

language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the

literal interpretation

Figurative language makes the writing more imaginative and interesting for the

reader.

Examples:

Analogy Imagery Metaphor Simile

Personification Symbolism

Analogy

➔ a comparison in which an 2 unlike things are compared to each other

➔ Used in persuasion to

demonstrate the logic of one idea by showing how it is similar to an accepted idea.

Example:

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,”

(Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet II ii.)

Allusion

an indirect reference, usually brief to a person, place, thing or idea of historical,

cultural, literary or political significance

By using allusion, you not only

associate yourself with the ideas of the original text but also create a bond with the audience by evoking shared knowledge

Example:

The words government of the people, by the people, and for the people are lifted from the “Gettysburg Address”

Hyperbol e

exaggerated statement or claim used for the sake of emphasis

Example:

"What hands are here? ha! they pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this hand will rather. The multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red."

(Shakespeare, Macbeth II. i. 123-127)

Diction

author’s choice of words that creates a distinct tone

Things to look for: dialect, slang,

denotation vs. connotation, specificity of vocab, and other patterns)

Tone

a writer’s attitude toward a subject/audience

Diction Examples:

“You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ’em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change.”

(To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee) informal diction

Diction Examples:

“This universal frame began: / From harmony to harmony / Through all the compass of the notes it ran, / The diapason closing full in Man.”

(“Song for Saint Cecilia’s Day, 1687” by John Dryden) sophisticated and elevated vocabulary -> formal diction

Diction Examples:

“What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore”

(description of the raven in “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe) builds pattern of scary words, related to death

Tone Examples:

“I want to ask the authorities what is the big deal? Why don’t they control the epidemic? It is eating up lives like a monster.”

VERSUS

“I want to draw the attention of the concerned authorities toward damage caused by an epidemic. If steps were not taken to curb it, it will further injure our community.”

Humor and Irony

Humor can used to make you like the

writer/speaker and “win you over” Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic) Example (situational): A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets.

More Examples of Humor

➔ Hyperbole exaggeration for emphasis/effect (“at night she needs a paint scraper to take off her makeup”)

➔ Sarcasm (“Writing 20 page papers is what I live for.”)

➔ Understatement (From Monty Python: Army officer loses a leg,

“Stings a bit.”)

Syntax

types of sentences used

(complex/compound vs. simple, etc.)

punctuation (use of commas, exclamation points, question

marks, semi-colons, colons, etc.) + the message it conveys

syn- = together -tax= arrangement

refers to the actual way in which words and sentences are placed together in the

writing

Authors play around with this to achieve a lyrical, rhythmic, rhetorical or

questioning effect.

Length of sentences

Short and choppy:

Example: My grades continue to suffer. I am not

studying as much as I should. I hope to pass. I am not sure I will.

Effect: Makes the person sound younger or simpler Complex/Compound:

Example: My grades continue to suffer because I am not studying as much as I should. Even though I hope to pass, I am not sure that I will.

Effect: Easier to follow, more sophisticated feel

Punctuation

● Lack—or overuse—of punctuation (especially commas) can alter meaning and/or result in ambiguity and misinterpretation

○ Examples:

■ Let’s eat Grandpa vs. Let’s eat, Grandpa!

■ Rachael Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog

Creates rhythm or sense or order

"This is a valley of ashes — a fantastic

farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air."

Old Stuff

Make separate slides for each with definitions, examples, and graphics:

-^Repetition

-Rhetorical question -Juxtaposition

-Figurative language (analogy, imagery, metaphor, simile, personification, symbolism) -Allusion

-Hyperbole

-Diction—look for patterns, advanced vocab, colorful language -TONE

-Humor and Irony

-Use of detail vs. lack of it

-Syntax: length of sentences + the effect on the intended message, types of sentences used (complex, simple, etc.), punctuation + the message it conveys

-syn (together), tax (arrangement)

Anaphora

➔ parallel structure

◆ repetition of grammatically similar words, phrases, clauses, or sentences to emphasize a point or stir the emotions of a reader/listener

◆ Used to create a sense of rhythm, balance, and order in writing or speech

Antistrophe

➔ Repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses

Example:

“A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break the bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight…”

(The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien)

Polysyndeton

➔ using several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted

➔ used to stress the importance of each item

Example:

$5 and $10 and $15

Use of detail vs. Lack of it

Use of detail can amplify an idea by adding details

Lack of details can change the author’s tone