LITERARY TERMS AND RHETORICAL DEVICES

LITERARY TERMS AND RHETORICAL DEVICES an ocean of information that can help you prepare for the AP Language and Composition Exam

AD HOMINEM • An argument attacking an individual’s character rather than his or her position on an issue • You should vote against the mayor’s proposal because he uses bad grammar and chews tobacco.

ALLEGORY • A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions • In Pilgrim’s Progress, the protagonist, Christian, represents all Christians, and physical obstacles represent inner struggles.

ALLITERATION • The repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words • “while I nodded, nearly napping”

ALLUSION • A reference to something literary, mythological, or historical • Patrick Henry urged his listeners not to be “betrayed with a kiss.”

ANALOGY • A comparison between two different things which are similar in some way • By comparing conducting to politics, Igor Stravinsky helped non-musicians understand his feelings about orchestra conductors.

ANAPHORA • The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences • “We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves.”

ANECDOTE • A brief personal narrative which focuses on a particular incident or event • Sylvia emphasized Sam’s kindness by telling the story of the time he stopped to help a stranded motorist in the pouring rain.

ANTITHESIS • A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced • “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”

APHORISM • A concise statement which succinctly expresses a general truth or idea, often using rhyme and balance • “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

APOSTROPHE • The act of speaking directly to an absent or imaginary person, or to some abstraction • “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is they victory?”

ASYNDETON • An expression in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions • “I came, I saw, I conquered.” • “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman!”

Bathos • Insincere or overly sentimental pathos; descent into mundane or sentimental language by a writer who is striving for the noble and elevated • Lofty, philosophical poem by Pope: • The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed today, • Had he thy reason, would he skip and play? • Pleased to the last, he crops his flowery food, • And licks the hand just raised to shed his blood….

Cliché • An expression that has been overused to an extent that its freshness has worn off • “under the weather” • “Don’t rock the boat.” • “Have a nice day.” • “Think outside the box.” • “Don’t go there.” • “You go, girl.”

CHIASMUS • A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed • “Out went the taper as she hurried in.”

COLLOQUIALISM • Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in writing form • Huck Finn says, “I got the fantods” to describe his nervousness and says “shin” instead of run.

CONCEIT • A fanciful, particularly clever, extended metaphor • Using an elaborate metaphor, John Donne compares himself and his wife to the two legs of a compass, one staying in place while the other circles around and eventually joins it.

CONNOTATION • The implied or associative meaning of a word • “Odor” and “fragrance” literally mean the same thing, but good things have fragrances and bad things have odors.

DENOTATION • The literal meaning of a word • Although the word “home” may suggest safety and comfort, it’s really simply “one’s residence.”

DICTION • Having to do with the word choices made by a writer • Hemingway uses few polysyllabic words; Dickens uses many polysyllabic words.

DIDACTIC • Something which has as its primary purpose to teach or instruct • Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography shows his readers how to be successful; Aesop’s fables present morals.

ELLIPSIS • The omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context • Kathleen wants to be a firefighter; Sara, a nurse.

EPIPHANY • A moment of sudden revelation or insight • Toward the end of the play, Othello suddenly realizes that he has been misled.

EQUIVOCATION • A kind of pun in which language is so used that it has two different but appropriate meanings • “Nothing is too good for him.” sounds like a compliment but is intended as a condemnation.

ETHOS • The character of the speaker or writer as reflected in speech or writing; the image projected of a composition’s maker • For Aristotle the image of a persuasive speaker should be that of a person of intelligence, rectitude, and good will.

EUPHEMISM • An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant • In Victorian times, ladies were said to “glisten” rather than to “sweat” or “perspire.”

GENRE • A major category or type of literature • Paradise Lost is an epic poem; The Scarlet Letter is a novel; Into Thin Air is nonfiction.

HOMILY • A form of oral religious instruction; a moralistic lecture; usually gives practical moral counsel rather than discussion of doctrine

HYPERBOLE • Intentional exaggeration to create an effect • There were at least a million people at the mall when I went shopping on Saturday.

IDIOM • An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the meaning of its individual elements; or, a regional speech or dialect • “I’ll be there shortly.” • “to carry out” (like a command)

IMAGERY • Concrete sensory details which contribute to the themes or ideas of a work • The smooth shell curved gently in the hands, a pristine white.

INVECTIVE • An intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack • “My opponent is a lying, cheating, immoral bully!”

IRONY • A situation or statement where the truth is the opposite of appearances • In King Lear, Lear believes his daughter Cordelia to be disloyal, when she is in fact his only faithful daughter.

JARGON • The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession • Legal jargon, military jargon, etc. • Confused speech, nonsense, or gibberish

JUXTAPOSITION • Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast • An oxymoron is the most common type of juxtaposition • Examples in literature: Romeo and Juliet I.v. has a wide range of strong contrasts: youth and old age; servants and nobles; love-sick Romeo and fiery Tybalt; and more

LITOTES • A type of understatement in which something affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite • My parents were overjoyed when I came home three hours past my curfew. • It was not a pretty picture. • not a bad idea • not many

LOGOS • Persuading by the use of reason • the logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument. • Facts - can be proven; Expert opinions or quotations; Definitions - statement of meaning of word or phrase; Statistics - offer scientific support; Examples - powerful illustrations; Anecdote - incident, often based on writer's personal experiences; Emotional appeals - to provide support for reasons, carefully chosen loaded words, carrying positive or negative connotations, sway readers' emotions; Present opposition - and give reasons and evidence to prove the opposition wrong; Conclude with call to action - urge the reader to do something

METAPHOR • A direct comparison of two different things which suggests they are somehow the same • In The Great Gatsby Daisy tells Nick, “You are a rose.”

METONYMY • Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it • “The White House issued a statement today.”

MOTIF • A standard theme or dramatic situation which recurs in various works • In Shakespeare’s plays, mistaken identity and the fall of the mighty occur regularly.

NON SEQUITUR • An inference that does not logically follow from the premise(s) • Richard Nixon said it should be obvious that he was honest because his wife wore a simple cloth coat.

ONOMATOPOEIA • A word formed from the imitation of natural sounds • The fire crackled in the fireplace. • We could hear the buzzing of the bees in the hive.

OXYMORON • An expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined • Jumbo shrimp • Sweet sorrow

PARADOX • An apparently contradicting statement which actually contains some truth • Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

PARALLELISM • The use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms • “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness….” • Tale of Two Cities

PARODY • A humorous imitation of a serious work • Spaceballs and the space epic genre • Hot Shots and action films • Scary Movie and horror movies

PATHOS • The quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity or sorrow • Acknowledging how he has wronged the faithful, gentle Joe, Pip tearfully asks his forgiveness.

PEDANTIC • Describing an excessive display of learning • The student annoyed his friends by constantly lecturing them about every subject imaginable, clearly assuming he was better informed than they.

PERSONIFICATION • Endowing nonhuman objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics • The smiling, friendly sun was about to be swallowed by the angry clouds moving in from the south.

POLYSYNDETON • The use of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural for rhetorical effect • Milton’s Satan: …pursues his way And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies.

LITERARY TERMS AND RHETORICAL DEVICES