Style & Rhetorical Devices

Rhetorical Devices: How to make speeches

sound great (even when you don’t know

what you’re talking about)!

Socrates: The fact is… the aspiring speaker needs no knowledge of

the truth about what is right or good… all that matters is

plausibility… Nevermind the truth – pursue probability through thick

and thin in every kind of speech; the whole secret of the art of

speaking lies in consistent adherence to this principle.

Phaedrus: That is what those who claim to be professional teachers

of rhetoric actually say, Socrates.

--Plato, Phaedrus 272

Review: Rhetoric

The Art of Persuasion

EthosAn appeal to a person’s character or morals. Trying to make the

speaker trustable and easier to relate to.

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a

more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic

tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote

the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty

to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish

this Constitution for the United States of America.”

LogosAn appeal to logic and intellect. An argument based on facts,

evidence, and reason.

Pathos

An argument based on feelings/emotions.

Style

StyleThe distinctive way in which a writer uses language.

- HOW it is written.

Determined by

sentence length,

diction, and use of

figurative language

and imagery.

Are they long and

elaborate? Or short

and to the point?

Formal/informal? Do

they use slang/jargon?

How many syllables

does each word have?

Does their language

appeal to your senses?

How often do they use

figurative language?

Diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Formal Diction Casual Diction Slang (very informal)

They are not angry. They aren’t mad. They ain’t mad, bro.

Some types of diction

are almost never

advisable in writing.

Avoid clichés,

vagueness, wordiness,

and unnecessarily

complex language.

Exercise

Label each sentence as formal, casual, or slang based on

its diction.

Let’s go get dinner.

It is vital to understand the text one reads.

Computers are a pain in the neck.

The Mona Lisa looks weird from up close.

Pickett’s charge at the Battle of Gettysburg was surely an

awe-inspiring sight.

DenotationThe dictionary definition of a word; the direct and specific meaning.

Connotation

Positive

Bob will not be here today

because he has an upset

stomach.

Negative

Bob will not be here today

because he is at home puking.

What is implied by a word.

Poor Bob. I

hope he

feels better.

Ew. Thanks for

the mental

image.

Exercise: Connotation

In the following sentences, choose between the words in

parentheses to make the sentence have as negative a

connotation as possible.

Immigrants (thronged, flocked, swarmed) to the large cities.

A (trim, skinny, slender) woman entered the room.

The man was (inebriated, drunk, intoxicated).

Where did you find that (outfit, get-up, attire)?

Tone Mood

◦ How an author feels towards a

character, subject, or setting

◦ Tone Words: amused, hopeful,

proud, sympathetic, irritated,

hateful, furious

Mood

◦ How a text makes the

audience feel

◦ Mood Words: awed, excited,

surprised, scared, numb,

intimidated, refreshed

This is entertaining. Honestly, I’m a

little scared.

Well, that

surprised me. I am quite amused.

Rhetorical Devices

Alliteration

AssonanceThe repetition of identical or similar vowel

sounds, usually in successive or proximate

words.

Consonance

The repetition of initial consonant sounds or any vowel sounds within a formal

grouping, such as poetic line or stanza, or in close proximity in prose.

The repetition of two or more consonants

with a change in the intervening vowels.

Our song is the

slamming screen door/ sneakin’ out

late, tapping at your window /

when we’re on the

phone and you talk

real slow / ‘cause it’s late and your

mama don’t know.

AllusionA reference to another work of literature, event in history, or pop

culture.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow

we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This

momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to

millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of

withering injustice.

AnalogyA comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their

structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification. Metaphors

and similes are both types of analogies.

“In a sense, we’ve come to our

nation’s capital to cash a

check…it has come back

marked insufficient funds.”

“I have but one lamp by which my

feet are guided, and that is the lamp

of experience.” –Patrick Henry

AnaphoraThe regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of

successive phrases or clauses.

Let freedom ring

from Stone

Mountain of

Georgia.

Let freedom ring

from Lookout

Mountain of

Tennessee.

Let freedom ring

from every hill

and molehill of

Mississippi.

We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is

the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police

brutality.

We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies…

cannot gain lodging in the motels of the

highways...

We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro’s

basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger

one.

We can never be satisfied as long as our children

are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their

dignity by signs stating: “For Whites Only.”.

We can never be satisfied as long as our children

are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their

dignity by signs stating: “For Whites Only.”.

AnecdoteA short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or

amusing nature.

“Hey, do you guys

want to hear a

story semi-related

to the concept I’m

teaching today?

Well, this one time

in high school…”

AntimetaboleThe repetition of words in successive clauses, but in

transposed order.

Ask not what your country

can do for you; ask what

you can do for your

country.

ApostropheA figure of speech in which a person, thing, or abstract idea is

addressed as if present and capable of understanding.

“O, happy dagger! This is

thy sheath; there rust, and

let me die.”

Contrast/JuxtapositionPlacing of two items side by side to create a certain effect, reveal an

attitude, or accomplish some other purpose.

Should I keep back my opinions at such a time,

through fear of giving offense, I should consider

myself as guilty of treason toward my country,

and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of

Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

--Patrick Henry

Contrast/JuxtapositionPlacing of two items side by side to create a certain effect, reveal an

attitude, or accomplish some other purpose.

HyperboleA deliberate exaggeration of a person, thing, quality, or

event to emphasize a point.

So first of all, let me assert

my firm belief that the only

thing we have to fear is

fear itself.

“Let every nation know, whether

it wishes us well or ill, that we shall

pay any price, bear any burden,

meet any hardship, support any

friend, oppose any foe, in order

to assure the survival and success

of liberty.” --JFK

Imagery

Language that appeals to the five senses.

“Now is the time to rise from the dark and

desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path

of racial justice; now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of injustice to the solid rock

of brotherhood.”

“This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate

discontent will not pass until there is an

invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.”

ParallelismRepeating a grammatical structure or an arrangement of

words to create a sense of rhythm and momentum.

It is the way to recovery. It is

the immediate way. It is thestrongest assurance…”

--President Roosevelt

“…and that government

of the people, by the

people, for the people

should not perish from the

earth.” -- President Lincoln

RepetitionExpressing different ideas using the same words or images

in order to reinforce concepts and unify the speech.

Let freedom ring

from Stone

Mountain of

Georgia.

Let freedom ring

from Lookout

Mountain of

Tennessee.

Let freedom ring

from every hill

and molehill of

Mississippi.

From every

mountainside, let

freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we

allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring

from every village and every hamlet, from

every state and every city, we will be able

to speed up that day when all of God’s

children, black men and white men, Jews

and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics,

will be able to join hands and sing in the

words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Rhetorical QuestionA question used for effect, emphasis, or provocation. It is not meant to

be answered.

UnderstatementDeliberately expressing an idea as less important than it

actually is, either for ironic emphasis or for politeness and

tact.

“’Tis but a scratch...

merely a flesh wound.”

“I am not unmindful that

some of you have come

here out of great trials

and tribulations” (King).