AP Rhetorical Devices List
AP Rhetorical Devices List
Anecdote
Perspective
Aphorism
A brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature
A character's view of the situation or events in the story
A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief. The writings of Benjamin Franklin contain many aphorisms, such as "Early to bed and early to rise/Make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
Contradiction
A direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency
Apostrophe
A figure of speech in which a person, thing, or abstract quality is addressed as if present; for example, the invocation to the muses usually found in epic poetry.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, as in "jumbo shrimp" or "deafening silence."
Allusion
—A figure of speech which makes brief, even casual reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object to create a resonance in the reader or to apply a symbolic meaning to the character or object of which the allusion consists. For example, in John Steinbeck's
Of Mice and Men, the surname of the protagonist, George Milton, is an allusion to John
Milton, author of Paradise Lost, since by the end of the novel, George has lost the dream of having a little ranch of his own to share with his friend Lennie.
Syllogism
A form of deduction. An extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument
Satire
A literary style used to make fun of or ridicule an idea or human vice or weakness
Bildungsroman A novel or story whose theme is the moral or psychological growth of the main character.
Devices
A particular word pattern or combination of words used in a literary work to evoke a desired effect or arouse a desired reaction in the reader
Foil
A person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast
Epistolary
A piece of literature contained in or carried on by letters
Epitaph
A piece of writing in praise of a deceased person
Parody
A satirical
Anecdote
Perspective
Aphorism
A brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature
A character's view of the situation or events in the story
A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief. The writings of Benjamin Franklin contain many aphorisms, such as "Early to bed and early to rise/Make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
Contradiction
A direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency
Apostrophe
A figure of speech in which a person, thing, or abstract quality is addressed as if present; for example, the invocation to the muses usually found in epic poetry.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, as in "jumbo shrimp" or "deafening silence."
Allusion
—A figure of speech which makes brief, even casual reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object to create a resonance in the reader or to apply a symbolic meaning to the character or object of which the allusion consists. For example, in John Steinbeck's
Of Mice and Men, the surname of the protagonist, George Milton, is an allusion to John
Milton, author of Paradise Lost, since by the end of the novel, George has lost the dream of having a little ranch of his own to share with his friend Lennie.
Syllogism
A form of deduction. An extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument
Satire
A literary style used to make fun of or ridicule an idea or human vice or weakness
Bildungsroman A novel or story whose theme is the moral or psychological growth of the main character.
Devices
A particular word pattern or combination of words used in a literary work to evoke a desired effect or arouse a desired reaction in the reader
Foil
A person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast
Epistolary
A piece of literature contained in or carried on by letters
Epitaph
A piece of writing in praise of a deceased person
Parody
A satirical