COMPOSITION I

RHETORICAL DEVICES

RHETORICAL DEVICES

• "rhetoric"=art of speaking and writing effectively
• Use of devices either add to or take away from arguments
• Good device use enhance arguments
• Fallacies lessen or weaken arguments

ARISTOTLE

• Syllogism: major premise, minor premise, conclusion
• Appeals to persuasion
• Ethos=credibility or authority
• Logos=soundness
• Pathos=emotion

OTHER PHILSOPHIES

• Stephan Toulmin: claim, data, warrant
• Carl R. Rogers method
• Finding common ground in argument
• Acknowledge through argument opposition
• Revealing weak points or omissions or what opposition is not

RHETORICAL DEVICES

• Anaphora: repetition of words for effect
• "Rolling Stone" has long been tagged the label of liberal, liberal, liberal.
• Anecdote: a story, usually personal, used to exemplify larger idea
• Asyndeton: omission of conjunctions between words for effect
• She was really stressed out, freaked out, not feeling so good.

RHETORICAL DEVICES

• Deduction: (Aristotle) reasoning running from general to specific
• Euphemism: use of phrase less direct or offensive
• Be wary of using euphemisms!
• Induction (Aristotle): specific to general conclusion
• Irony: contrasting what appears and what really is

RHETORICAL DEVICES

• Oxymoron: contradictory terms or ideas combined
• Parable: similar to anecdote story where lesson is drawn
• Paradox: statement which may be contradictory but may be actually true
• Parallelism: repetition of key word or phrase over successive sentences for effect

RHETORICAL DEVICES

• Rhetorical question: question posed for effect not expecting reader answer
• Satire/sarcasm/understatement: semi-critical ways of exposing vice or abuse
• Synecdoche: part or quality of something substituted for larger whole
• Music and movies are my bread and butter.
• Nostalgia: tie to the past in style or fact, be it personal or from society; connects to reader well

QUESTIONS?