Rhetoricaldevicesandlogicalfallacies
Rhetorical Devices and Logical Fallacies
Note: This document should only be used as a reference and should not replace assignment guidelines.
Common Rhetorical Devices
Paradox
A statement that initially seems contradictory but actually reveals a truth when viewed in a new context.
A paradox can effectively grab a reader’s attention, such as in a hook in an opening line.
EXAMPLE: Less is more.
Point of View
The perspective from which a story is told, which can color the delivery of the author’s message in either a positive or negative light. Is she an expert? Is he biased? Do we trust her?
EXAMPLES: 1st person: the author uses an “I,” which can be subjective
3rd person: the narrator writes using “he” or “she,” which can be objective.
Tone
The author’s attitude toward the subject and audience.
EXAMPLES: The introduction to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address sets a serious and formal tone that continues throughout the speech: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation…”
David Sedaris’s essay, “Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa,” establishes a humorous tone: “When Hugh was in the fifth grade, his class took a field trip to an Ethiopian slaughterhouse. He was living in Addis Ababa at the time, and the slaughterhouse was chosen because, he says, ‘it was convenient.’”
Understatement
Intentionally falling short of describing the full extent of the subject, often used for humor or emphasis.
EXAMPLE: It gets a little uncomfortable in the sun on those 115-degree summer afternoons.
Anaphora
Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, which can add dramatic heft or subtly emphasize the main idea that underlies each example clause.
EXAMPLE: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…”
Metaphor
A comparison of two unlike things.
EXAMPLE: In enforcing its patents so harshly, Monsanto Company acted as a feudal king
Note: This document should only be used as a reference and should not replace assignment guidelines.
Common Rhetorical Devices
Paradox
A statement that initially seems contradictory but actually reveals a truth when viewed in a new context.
A paradox can effectively grab a reader’s attention, such as in a hook in an opening line.
EXAMPLE: Less is more.
Point of View
The perspective from which a story is told, which can color the delivery of the author’s message in either a positive or negative light. Is she an expert? Is he biased? Do we trust her?
EXAMPLES: 1st person: the author uses an “I,” which can be subjective
3rd person: the narrator writes using “he” or “she,” which can be objective.
Tone
The author’s attitude toward the subject and audience.
EXAMPLES: The introduction to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address sets a serious and formal tone that continues throughout the speech: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation…”
David Sedaris’s essay, “Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa,” establishes a humorous tone: “When Hugh was in the fifth grade, his class took a field trip to an Ethiopian slaughterhouse. He was living in Addis Ababa at the time, and the slaughterhouse was chosen because, he says, ‘it was convenient.’”
Understatement
Intentionally falling short of describing the full extent of the subject, often used for humor or emphasis.
EXAMPLE: It gets a little uncomfortable in the sun on those 115-degree summer afternoons.
Anaphora
Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, which can add dramatic heft or subtly emphasize the main idea that underlies each example clause.
EXAMPLE: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…”
Metaphor
A comparison of two unlike things.
EXAMPLE: In enforcing its patents so harshly, Monsanto Company acted as a feudal king