All Rhetoric Flashcards
(36 cards)
Metabasis
A brief statement of what has been said and what will follow
ex: Now that we have examined the poem’s rhyme scheme, it remains for us to examine the poem’s meter.
Procatalepsis
anticipates an objection that might be raised by a reader and responds to it
ex: It is usually argued that if the government leaves the mail delivery business, small towns will not have any mail service. The answer to this can be found in the history of the Pony Express…
Hypophora
raising a question then proceeding to answer it
ex: Where else can this growing region look to augment its water supply? One possibility is the deep aquifer beneath the southeastern corner…
Irony
a statement whose hidden meaning is different from its surface meaning (often the ironic meaning is the opposite of the surface meaning)
ex: The food here is terrible, and the portions so small. (We do not expect anyone to want larger portions of terrible food.)
Understatement
deliberately expresses an idea as less important than it actually is, either for ironic emphasis or for politeness and tact
ex: The 1906 San Fransisco earthquake interrupted business somewhat in the downtown area.
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
ex: There are a thousand reasons why more research is needed on solar energy.
Litotes
A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite
ex: Heat waves are not rare in the summer.
Caricature
a description that exaggerates features for a comic effect
ex: Wolfsheim’s nose flashed at me indignantly.
Satire
a genre of writing or style meant to poke fun at society through a humorous portrayal highlighting the ridiculous nature behind a practice or belief.
ex: “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift mocks heartless attitudes towards the poor by suggesting that people should sell their infants as food to the rich.
1st Person
narrating in the perspective “I” or “we”
2nd Person
narrating in the perspective of “you”
3rd Person
narrating in the perspective of “he”, “she”, and/or “they”
Alliteration
Repetition of initial consonant sounds
ex: Ah, what a delicious day!
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it represents
ex: Flies buzzing and whizzing around their ears kept them from finishing the experiment at the swamp.
Assonance
Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity
ex: A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Consonance
Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity
ex: And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Meter
A rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
Rhyme
Repetition of sounds at the end of words
Internal Rhyme
rhyme within a line of poetry
ex: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary
End Rhyme
Rhyme that occurs at the end of two or more lines of poetry
ex: Water, water, everywhere
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere
Nor any drop to drink.
Slant Rhyme
a close but imperfect rhyme
ex: glorious & nefarious
Slight/Eye Rhyme
the words are spelled similarly enough to look like a rhyme but sound different
ex: Tyger, tyger, burning bright,
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Enjambment
a thought from one line of poetry runs onto another line
ex: What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Caesura
a strong pause within a line of verse due to the completion of a thought or the placement of a punctuation mark
ex: Tyger, tyger, burning bright
