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6442577609allegoryrhetorical strategy of extending a metaphor through an entire narrative. "There is an obvious allegory in Avatar, the Navi stand for Native Americans."0
6442577610alliterationThe repetition of an initial consonant sound, as in "a peck of pickled peppers."1
6442577611allusionA brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event--real or fictional.2
6442577612analogyA type of composition (or, more commonly, a part of a composition or speech) in which one idea, process, or thing is explained by comparing it to something else.3
6442577613anaphora (also called epanaphora)A scheme in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Example: "I will fight for you. I will fight to save Social Security. I will fight to raise the minimum wage."4
6442577614anastropheA scheme in which normal word order is changed for emphasis. Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.5
6442577615anecdoteA short account (or narrative) of an interesting or amusing incident, often intended to illustrate or support some point.6
6442577616annotationA concise statement of the key idea(s) in a text or a portion of a text. Annotations are commonly used in reading instruction and in research.7
6442577617antagonistCharacter in a story or poem who opposes the main character (protagonist). Sometimes the antagonist is an animal, an idea, or a thing. Examples of such antagonists might include illness, oppression, or the serpent in the biblical story of Adam and Eve.8
6442577618antecedentThe noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to. "When giving treats to ~friends~ or ~children~, give them what they like, emphatically not what is good for them."9
6442577619antimetaboleHalf of expression is balanced, other half is backwards. ABC-CBA. It's a type of chiasmus. "I know what I like, and I like what I know"10
6442577620antithesisPlacement of contrasting or opposing words, phrases, clauses, or sentences side by side. Following are examples:"The more acute the experience, the less articulate its expression." (Harold Pinter, "Writing for the Theatre," 1962)11
6442577621anthropomorphismAttribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena12
6442577622antithesisA rhetorical term for the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses. "You're easy on the eyes Hard on the heart." - (Terri Clark)13
6442577623aphorismA brief statement of a principle that makes a wise observation about life. "Haste makes waste." "The first rule of Fight Club is--you do not talk about Fight Club." (Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden, Fight Club)14
6442577624aporiaintentionally express unsureness15
6442577625apostropheA scheme in which a person or an abstract quality is directly addressed, whether present or not. Example: "Freedom! You are a beguiling mistress."16
6442577626appositionThe placement side-by-side of two coordinate elements (noun phrases), the second of which serves to identify or rename the first. "Miniver Cheevy, ~child of scorn~, grew lean while he assailed the seasons." "Gussie, ~a glutton for punishment~, stared at himself in the mirror."17
6442577627archaic dictionthe use of words that are old-fashioned or no longer commonly used.18
6442577628Aristotelian triangleRelation between audience, subject, and writer/speaker19
6442577629arrangementThe parts of a speech or, more broadly, the structure of a text. Arrangement is one of the five traditional canons or subdivisions of classical rhetorical training.20
6442577630asideIn conversation or drama, a short passage spoken in an undertone or addressed to an audience. In writing, an aside may be set off by parentheses.21
6442577631assertiona positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason22
6442577632assumptiona statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn. Little proof is given.23
6442577633asyndetonOmitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses "Anyway, like I was saying, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo."24
6442577634attitudeCreated by a speaker or writer in order to invent materials, the manner in which an action is carried out.25
6442577635audiencethe receiving end. Always important to write and speak with the audience in mind. Clarity, brevity, interest, reaction, etc...26
6442577636biasPrejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.27
6442577637blank verseis any verse comprised of unrhymed lines all in the same meter, usually iambic pentameter. An iambic pair is pronounced as da-DUM, accentuating the stress on the second syllable. Hence, an iambic pentameter would have the form,da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM28
6442577638bombastA pejorative term for pompous and inflated speech or writing that sounds important but is generally nonsense. "empty rhetoric". Padding to something without meaning.29
6442577639cacophonyA mix of harsh, displeasing, or clashing sounds. It is commonly used to describe poetry, but can also be found in musical composition. Sometimes it is accidental, and sometimes it is used intentionally for artistic effect.30
6442577640catharsisIn literature and art, a purification of emotions. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) used the term to describe the effect on the audience of a tragedy acted out on a theater stage. This effect consists in cleansing the audience of disturbing emotions, such as fear and pity, thereby releasing tension. In modern usage, ____ may refer to any experience, real or imagined, that purges a person of negative emotions.31
6442577641characterThe distinctive nature of something.32
6442577642chiasmusInversion in the second of two parallel phrases Example: "It's not the men in my life, it's the life in my men."33
6442577643circumlocution (or periphrasis)The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language to avoid getting to the point. Contrast with conciseness. Adjective: circumlocutory. (such as "a tool used for cutting things such as paper and hair") as opposed to scissors.34
6442577644claimAn assertion of the truth of something, typically one that is disputed or in doubt.35
6442577645classical modelintroduction, introduces the subject and piques the reader's interest narration, provides factual information and background material confirmation, major part of text, includes the development of the proof needed to make the writer's case refutation, addresses counterargument, bridge between proof and conclusion conclusion, brings essay to a close, "So what does it all mean?"36
6442577646climaxThe most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.37
6442577647close readingWhen you ______, you observe facts and details about the text. You may focus on a particular passage, or on the text as a whole. Your aim may be to notice all striking features of the text, including rhetorical features, structural elements, cultural references; or, your aim may be to notice only selected features of the text—for instance, oppositions and correspondences, or particular historical references.38
6442577648colloquialismAn informal expression that is more often used in casual conversation than in formal speech or writing. "Latinas are in oppressive structures. We can fool ourselves, but we'd still be getting ~dumped on.~"39
6442577649comic reliefComic episodes in a dramatic or literary work that offset more serious sections. A character or characters providing this.40
6442577650concedeAdmit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it.41
6442577651conclusionbrings essay to a close, "So what does it all mean" or a reasoned deduction or inference.42
6442577652confirmationmajor part of text, includes the development of the proof needed to make the writer's case43
6442577653confirmation biasTendency of people to favor information that confirms their beliefs or hypotheses.44
6442577654conflictThe conflict of a story is a problem in the story. It can be internal or external.45
6442577655connotationThe emotional implications and associations that a word may carry, in contrast to its denotative (literal) meanings. An idea that is implied or suggested "The name reservation has a negative connotation among Native Americans--an intern camp of sorts." (John Russell)46
6442577656contextThe words and sentences that surround any part of a discourse and that help to determine its meaning.47
6442577657conventiona rule, method, or practice established by usage; custom48
6442577658counterargumenta contrasting, opposing, or refuting argument.49
6442577659cumulative sentencesentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on50
6442577660deductive reasoningA method of reasoning from the general to the specific. In a deductive argument, a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises. (Contrast with induction.) In logic, a deductive argument is called a syllogism. In rhetoric, the equivalent of the syllogism is the enthymeme.51
6442577661denotationThe direct or dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings52
6442577662denouementIn a narrative (within an essay, short story, novel, play, or film), the event or events following the climax; the resolution or clarification of the plot.53
6442577663deus ex machina____:(god from the machine) is a term describing the sudden appearance of an unexpected way out of a difficult situation.54
6442577664dictionChoice and use of words in speech or writing55
6442577665discursive1.passing aimlessly from one subject to another; digressive; rambling. 2. proceeding by reasoning or argument rather than intuition.56
6442577666dramatic ironydrama, audience knows something that the characters don't know. ex.Lincoln57
6442577667dynamic charactera literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude: Ebeneezer Scrooge is a dynamic character.58
6442577668effectsomething that is produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence59
6442577669elegya mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.60
6442577670epanadiplosisA figure by which the same word is used both at the beginning and at the end of a sentence; as, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." --Phil. iv. 4.61
6442577671epicLong poem in a lofty style about the exploits of heroic figures. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, as well as the Old English poem Beowulf, are examples of epics.62
6442577672epigramany witty, ingenious, or pointed saying tersely expressed; a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought.63
6442577673epistrophe (also called epiphora)A scheme in which the same word is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Example: "I believe we should fight for justice. You believe we should fight for justice. How can we not, then, fight for justice?"64
6442577674ethosCredibility. We tend to believe people whom we respect.65
6442577675euphemismThe substitution of an inoffensive term (such as "passed away") for one considered offensively explicit ("died"). Contrast with dysphemism. Adjective: euphemistic.66
6442577676euphonyagreeableness of sound; pleasing effect to the ear, especially a pleasant sounding or harmonious combination or succession of words67
6442577677explicationthe act of making clear or removing obscurity from the meaning of a word or symbol or expression etc..68
6442577678expositionwriting or speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain; a detailed statement or explanation; explanatory treatise69
6442577679fablea short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters; apologue70
6442577680figurative languagerefers to words, and groups of words, that exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of the component words.71
6442577681figure of speechis the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, as in idiom, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or personification.72
6442577682flashbacka device in the narrative of a motion picture, novel, etc., by which an event or scene taking place before the present time in the narrative is inserted into the chronological structure of the work.73
6442577683foreshadowingto show or indicate beforehand; prefigure of events that are to come74
6442577684formtypes of writing75
6442577685functionthe kind of action or activity proper to a person, thing, or institution; the purpose for which something is designed or exists; role.76
6442577686heteroclite dictionDeviating from ordinary forms or rules; irregular; anomalous; abnormal.77
6442577687hortative sentencesentence that exhorts, advices, calls to action "Go! Go! Go!" "Great job keep going!"78
6442577688hyperboleA trope composed of exaggerated words or ideals used for emphasis and not to be taken literally. Example: "I've told you a million times not to call me a liar!"79
6442577689imageform; appearance; semblance80
6442577690imageryVivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste).81
6442577691imperative sentencegives a command. "take me to the store." remember: it is imperative that you take me to the store!82
6442577692Impressionismuse imagism and symbolism to convey their impressions, rather than interpreting their experiences.83
6442577693inductive reasoningA method of reasoning that moves from specific instances to a generalization. Specific to general.84
6442577694inversionreversal of the usual or natural order of words; anastrophe.85
6442577695ironyA trope in which a word or phrase is used to mean the opposite of its literal meaning. Example: "I just love scrubbing the floor."86
6442577696juxtapositionan act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.87
6442577697laconicusing few words; expressing much in few words; concise: a laconic reply.88
6442577698litotesA trope in which one makes a deliberate understatement for emphasis. Example: Young lovers are kissing and an observer says: "I think they like each other."89
6442577699logoslogic means persuading by the use of reasoning.90
6442577700MachiavellianNiccolo Machiavelli helped to begin a revolution in political philosophy. His ideas were not necessarily original but still considered extremely radical at the time he published his book.91
6442577701magic realismis a genre where magic elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, realistic environment.[1] Although it is most commonly used as a literary genre, magic realism also applies to film and the visual arts.92
6442577702malapropAbsurd or humorous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".93
6442577703metaphorA trope in which a word or phrase is transferred from its literal meaning to stand for something else. Unlike a simile, in which something is said to be "like" something else, a metaphor says something is something else. Example: "Debt is a bottomless sea."94
6442577704metonymySubstitution where a word or phrase is used in place of another word or phrase (such as "crown" for "royalty"). "The pen is mightier than the sword,"95
6442577705modifierIn grammar, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure. A modifier is so called because it is said to modify (change the meaning of) another element in the structure, on which it is dependent. ex: "This is a red ball" vs. "This is a ball". Red modifies the noun ball.96
6442577706monologuea prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker97
6442577707motifa recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work98
6442577708narrationprovides factual information and background material or something narrated; an account, story, or narrative99
6442577709nominalizationto convert (another part of speech) into a noun, as in changing the adjective lowly into the lowly100
6442577710occasiona special or important time101
6442577711onomatopoeiause of words that imitate sounds-CRASH, BANG, HISS102
6442577712oxymoronA trope that connects two contradictory terms. Example: "Bill is a cheerful pessimist." "Jumbo shrimp"103
6442577713pacinga rate of movement104
6442577714parableA story, usually short and simple, that illustrates a lesson.105
6442577715paradoxan assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it. [What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young] "War is peace." "Freedom is slavery."106
6442577716parallel plotPlots in which each main character has a separate but related story line that merges in the end.107
6442577717parallelismThe use of identical or equivalent syntactic constructions in corresponding clauses or phrases108
6442577718parodya humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing109
6442577719pathosemotional appeal and persuasion110
6442577720periodic sentencemain subject is at the end of the sentence. "in front of the growing crowd, the women are fighting." Think: before the period111
6442577721periphrasisA trope in which one substitutes a descriptive word or phrase for a proper noun. Example: "The big man upstairs hears your prayers."112
6442577722personathe narrator of or a character in a literary work, sometimes identified with the author.113
6442577723personificationA trope in which human qualities or abilities are assigned to abstractions or inanimate objects. Example: "Integrity thumbs its nose at pomposity."114
6442577724plotAlso called storyline. the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.115
6442577725point of viewThe perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a narrative or presents information. Depending on the topic, purpose, and audience, writers of nonfiction may rely on the first-person point of view (I, we), the second-person (you, your), or the third-person (he, she, it, they).116
6442577726polemica controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine117
6442577727polysyndetonMultiple coordinating conjunctions "Let the whitefolks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and schools and lawns like carpets, and books, and mostly--mostly--let them have their whiteness." (Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969)118
6442577728premisea proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion119
6442577729propagandistica person involved in producing or spreading propaganda120
6442577730protagonistthe leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.121
6442577731punA play on words in which a homophone is repeated but used in a different sense. Examples: "She was always game for any game."122
6442577732purposethe reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.123
6442577733refutationaddresses counterargument, bridge between proof and conclusion124
6442577734refuteto prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge.125
6442577735rhetoricThe study and practice of effective communication. The study of the effects of texts on audiences. The art of persuasion. An insincere eloquence intended to win points and manipulate126
6442577736rhetorical appealsethos, pathos, logos127
6442577737rhetorical modesdescribe the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing. Four of the most common rhetorical modes and their purpose are exposition, argumentation, description, and narration.128
6442577738rhetorical questionA trope in which the one asks a leading question. Example: "With all the violence on TV today, is it any wonder kids bring guns to school?"129
6442577739satireA text or performance that uses irony, derision, or wit to expose or attack human vice, foolishness, or stupidity. With intent to improve.130
6442577740sarcasmEmpty irony. Meant for others to feel stupid and does not improve a situation131
6442577741schemeA change in standard word order or pattern.132
6442577742segueto make a transition from one thing to another smoothly and without interruption133
6442577743settingthe surrounding environment of a story134
6442577744simileA trope in which one states a comparison between two things that are not alike but have similarities. Unlike metaphors, similes employ "like" or "as." Example: "Her eyes are as blue as a robin's egg."135
6442577745soliloquyan utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present136
6442577746speakerthe person speaking137
6442577747stage directionsAn instruction in the text of a play.138
6442577748static characterCharacter in a literary work who does not change his or her outlook in response to events taking place.139
6442577749structureThe arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.140
6442577750styleRefers to the way you put your writing together. It refers to your choice of sentence patterns, your overall choice of words, and the specific vocabulary you use. (e.g. using lots of dialogue, or poetic language, or lots of description).141
6442577751subjectthat which forms a basic matter of thought, discussion, investigation, etc.: a subject of conversation.142
6442577752subplotsubplot is a secondary strand of the plot that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot143
6442577753subtext_____ or undertone is content of a work which is not announced explicitly by the characters (or author) but is implicit or becomes something understood by the observer of the work as the production unfolds.144
6442577754syllogismis a kind of logical argument in which one proposition (the conclusion) is inferred from two or more others (the premises) of a specific form.145
6442577755symbolsomething used for or regarded as representing something else;146
6442577756synecdocheA trope in which a part stands for the whole or a whole stands for a part. Example: "Tom just bought a fancy new set of wheels."147
6442577757syntaxIs the study of the rules that dictate how the parts of sentences go together.148
6442577758synthesizeCombines parts and elements, focuses on main ideas and details, and achieves new insight. In writing a synthesis, you infer relationships between sources, both written and non-written.149
6442577759themea subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition;150
6442577760thesisa proposition stated or put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections151
6442577761toneThe atmosphere or emotion an author conveys through word choice, etc. Refers to how you say or write something. "The main factor in tone is diction, the words that the writer chooses. For one kind of writing, an author may choose one type of vocabulary, perhaps slang, and for another the same writer may choose an entirely different set of words. Even such small matters as contractions make a difference in tone, the contracted verbs being less formal.152
6442577762topic sentenceterm to describe the sentence in an expository paragraph which summarizes the main idea of that paragraph.153
6442577763tragic heroA tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragedy. The emotion of pity stems not from a person becoming better but when a person receives undeserved misfortune and fear comes when the misfortune befalls a man like us.154
6442577764tropeThe use of a word, phrase, or image in a way not intended by its normal signification.155
6442577765understatementthe act or an instance of understating, or representing in a weak or restrained way that is not borne out by the facts.156
6442577766verbal ironySay one thing, mean the other157
6442577767voicethe individual writing style of an author158
6442577768zeugmaA trope in which one verb governs several words, or clauses, each in a different sense. Example: "He stiffened his drink and his spine." "You are free to execute your laws, and your citizens, as you see fit."159
6442577769maxima short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct160
6442577770relative clausecannot stand alone, conains a subject and a verb; begins with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, or which) or a relative adverb (whre, when, why); functions as an adjective (answers, "What kind?", "How many?", "Which one?"161
6442577771Anadiplosisrepetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause162
6442577772assonanceThe repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in neighboring words. Adjective: assonant. EX. "If I bleat when I speak it's because I just got . . . fleeced." (Al Swearengen in Deadwood, 2004)163
6442577773ParodyA literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.164
6442577774active voicethe voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb165
6442577775passive voicethe voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb166
6635909650SOAPStoneSubject Occasion Audience Purpose Speaker Tone167
6635916044rhetorical analysis essaySOAPStone, explain how the author used rhetorical devices to help develop and strengthen their claim to reach the audience168
6635919320synthesis essaygiven several sources, must use a MINIMUM of 3 to support your claim on the given topic169
6635928778how long should you plan your essay (synthesis)?15 minutes170
6635931902how long should you write your essay (synthesis)?40 minutes171
6635935429what pov should the synthesis essay be in?3rd person objective172
6635938014toulmin modelexigence | audience | purpose | ethos, logos, pathos | organization | diction, syntax, imagery, figurative language173
6635957392rhetorical triangle174
6635992613begging the questionthe writer ignores/deflects the real question175
6635992614bandwagoneveryone is doing it!176
6636008414false dilemmaeither/or argument that states there are only 2 options177
6636010065slippery slopeone thing inevitably leads to another178
6636011893straw mandefining the opponent's position when they are not present179
6636014398ad hominem180

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