Literary and Rhetorical Terms
AP English III
*These terms are categorized, but keep in mind that most of them are used in other categories as well.
Argument
ethos – an argumentative approach that appeals to the reader's belief that the speaker/writer is an expert on the topic, or is using an expert as a source
logos – an argumentative approach that appeals to the reader's sense of logic
pathos – an argumentative approach that appeals to the reader's emotions
non sequitur – a statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before
rebuttal/refutation – the part of a discourse wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and answered
fallacy – an incorrect belief or supposition based on faulty data, defective evidence, or false information
ad hominem – directed to or appealing to feelings of prejudices instead of to intellect or reason
deductive reasoning – a method of reasoning by which specific definitions, conclusions, and theorems are drawn from general principles
inductive reasoning – a method of reasoning in which a number of specific facts or examples are used to make a generalization
reiteration – repetition of an idea using different words, often for emphasis or other effect
concession – the acknowledgement of the opposition's argument (see also rebuttal/refutation)
ambiguity – a vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings or interpretations
syllogism – a form of deductive reasoning in which given certain ideas or facts must be followed by other must follow. Ex.: "All men are mortal; Mike is a man; therefore, Mike is mortal."
contradiction - a statement or proposition that contradicts or denies another or itself and is logically incongruous.
Rhetorical Analysis
rhetoric – the language of a work and its style
diction – the choice of words in oral and written discourse
syntax – the organization of language into meaningful structure; every sentence has a particular syntax, or pattern of words
anaphora - the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines
parallelism - recurrent syntactical similarity. Several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed similarly to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in importance. Parallelism also adds balance and rhythm and, most importantly, clarity to the sentence
tone – the author's attitude toward the subject being written about. A work can have an overall tone but also may shift tones throughout.
litotes – a form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. Example: He is not a bad dancer.
synecdoche – a figure of speech in which the part signifies the whole (fifty masts for fifty ships), or the whole signifies the part (the word days used in place of life – He lived his days under African skies).
antithesis – a rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences:
"They promised freedom but provided slavery."
juxtaposition-fancy literary word for comparison of two ideas. From the Latin “juxta” means beside or near and “position” means position. Motifs, symbols, characters, and even syntactical elements may be juxtaposed.
loose sentence – a sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences, i.e., subject-verb-object. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and then is followed by one or more subordinate clauses
periodic sentence – a sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main thought only at the end. In other words, the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support.
oxymoron – a term consisting of contradictory elements, Ex. loud silence, jumbo shrimp
euphemism – a mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term (ex. pass away vs. die)
allusion – a reference to another piece of literature, an event, history, etc., meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea
rhetorical question – a question to which the audience already knows the answer; a question asked merely for effect with no answer expected
Satire
satire – a literary style used to poke fun at, attach, or ridicule an idea, vice, or foible, often for the purpose of inducing change
farce – a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose
pun – a humorous play on words, using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings
sarcasm – a sharp, caustic attitude conveyed in words through jibes, taunts, or other remarks; sarcasm differs from irony, which is more subtle
parody – an imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject
Miscellaneous
dramatic irony – a circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about the situation than the character
situational irony – an outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected
verbal irony – a discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words
paradox – a statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true
paraphrase – a version of a text put into simpler, everyday language – should be about the same length as the original text
rhetorical mode – a general term that identifies discourse according to its chief purpose. Modes include
exposition – to explain, analyze, or discuss an idea
argumentation – to prove a point or to persuade
description – to recreate or present with details
narration – to relate an anecdote or story
denotation – the dictionary definition of a word
connotation – the suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase
genre – a term used to describe literary forms, such as novel, play, essay, poetry
theme - the main idea or meaning, often an abstract idea upon which an essay or other form of discourse is built
epiphany - a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
thesis - the statement of proposition that a speaker or writer wishes to advance, illustrate, prove, or defend
propaganda - information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
mood - the emotional reaction of a reader of a work of literature or other discourse
audience - the persons reached by a book, radio or television broadcast, etc.
perspective – the point of view of a character, author, or reader based on his/her knowledge, beliefs, and/or situation
anachronism – a person, scene, event, or other element that fails to correspond with the appropriate time or era
abstract - expressing a quality or characteristic apart from any specific object or instance, as justice, poverty, and speed
colloquial - characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal
persona - the narrator or storyteller created by the author of a literary work
aesthetic - of or concerning the appreciation of beauty
dialect - a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially
motif - a repetition of literary elements. Motif may be used in an informal context such as “AHS has a curious red, white, and blue motif in its décor,” and a literary way such as “a flight motif begins to emerge as the author includes details about wings, feathers, and airplanes in the first paragraph.”