Patterns of Paragraph Organization&

More Rhetorical Devices

AssignmentUse the chart for taking notesWrite down the definition, why writers use it, and

one exampleOn longer examples, I have bolded or underlined

what you need to write down Turn in under the Assignment tab

Chronological OrganizationDefinition - Arranged in the order in which events

happenWhy? To tell a storyWhy? Historical eventWhy? Steps in a process

Example – history texts, recipes, recollection of events

Spatial OrderArrangement of details observed in an environment

Descriptive writingOrganizes observations so scene can be visualized

Example – description of a setting, directions

Deductive OrderGeneral to specific orderBegin with main ideaReinforced by supporting details

See pattern clearlyReinforces known information

Example: Textbook material 1st half of “Dumbest Generation…” article

Inductive orderSpecific to generalSeries of observationsFollowed by a generalization (main idea)

Introduce new ideasBuild support firstApproach a hostile audienceGives reasons for a possible argument

Example: 2nd half of “Dumbest Generation” article

CoherenceEach sentence leads logically and smoothly to the

nextA chain of interconnected thoughts

Unity (singleness of purpose)Nothing to lead reader astray

Examples: transitions, repetition, parallelism, and pronouns

TransitionsSignposts or markers that indicates a logical

relationship or a shift in directionIndicates relationshipShifts directionHelps reader follow

Example: All of the candidates in this race share these goals. All have good

ideas. And all are patriots who serve this country honorably. But the reason our campaign has always been different is because it's

not just about what I will do as President, it's also about what you,the people who love this country, can do to change it.

RepetitionRepeating keywords and phrases

Produces a chain of interconnected thoughtsHelps reader keep on track and stay focusedAchieves coherenceReinforces important ideas

Example: “Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to

opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can” Barack Obama

ParallelismThe Repetition of words or phrases that have

similar grammatical structure. Achieves coherenceShows how ideas are interconnectedReinforce similaritiesAdd force to the writing

Example 1"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 to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

-- John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address

Example 2"We have seen the state of our

Union in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We've seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers -- in English, Hebrew, and Arabic."

George W. Bush, 9-20-01 Address to the Nation on Terrorism

Example 3"...and that

government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

-- Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

Example 4"We have petitioned and our petitions have been

scorned. We have entreated and our entreaties have been disregarded. We have begged and they have mocked when our calamity came. We beg no longer. We entreat no more. We petition no more. We defy them."-- William Jennings Bryan

Example 5"You have done what the cynics said we couldn't

do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this new year”

Barrack Obama Iowa Victory Speech

PronounsA word that replaces a noun or pronoun

Achieves coherenceAvoids unnecessary repetitionChanges the focus of a pieceCan make the reader part of the piece

Example “But the reason our campaign has always been different is because it's

not just about what I will do as President, it's also about what you,the people who love this country, can do to change it.”

Really, don’t we all know by know…. (“Dumbest Generation”)

Alliteration

repetition of the same sound beginning several words in sequenceMake certain words stand outConnects words to be emphasizedCreates moodMakes it sound good!

*Let us go forth to lead the land we love. J. F. Kennedy, Inaugural

*Veni, vidi, vici.

Julius Caesar

President Obama"Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we

participate in a politics of hope?“ Obama described America as "a place where destiny

was not a destination, but a journey to be shared and shaped…"

"The history of America is one of tragedy turned into triumph."

"Step forward, Tin Man. You dare to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk...And you, Scarecrow, have the effrontery to ask for a brain! You billowing bale of bovine fodder!"-- delivered by Frank "Wizard of Oz" Morgan (from the movie The Wizard of Oz)

Analogy/MetaphorAn extended comparison between two things

(events, ideas, people, etc).Show how two are relatedBuilds a mental pictureDescribe something unfamiliar using something

familiarSuggests a deeper or unexpressed meaning

Example 1Obama used this analogy in Austin, Texas, at a fundraising

event for the Democratic National Committee. “In fact, I’ve been traveling around the country trying to use an analogy here, and it’s as if these guys took the car, drove it into the ditch… so we put our boots on, we walked down into the ditch, into the mud. And finally we get this car up on level ground. Finally we get it back on the road. And these guys turn to us and say, ‘Give us the keys back.’ Well, no, you can’t have the keys back because you don’t know how to drive.

“If you have a car and you want to go forward, what do you do? You put it in 'D,'” Obama said. “When you want to go backwards, what do you do? You put it in 'R.' I'm just saying -- that’s no coincidence. We are not going to give them the keys back."

Example 2Sarah Palin made an analogy in response to Obama

signing the new START agreement with Russia. Her comment was directed at the part that states that should some non-nuclear nation which is part of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty attack the United States with something other than a nuclear weapon -- say a chemical or cyber-attack -- the U.S. will not launch a nuclear response.

"That's kind of like getting out there on the playground with a bunch of kids ready to fight, and one of the kids saying, 'Go ahead and punch me in the face, and I'm not going to retaliate. Go ahead and do what you want to me."