What are Rhetorical Strategies?

What is “rhetoric”?

Rhetoric is the “art or study of effective language.”

Effective language is language used to an effect – this includes writing that accomplished the writer’s goal. The writer’s goal was to communicate a specific idea.

Therefore, rhetoric may be described as “persuasive use of language” and “rhetorical strategies” are techniques which writers use for a particular effect.

This is a strong principle of advertising. People connect people and ideas through juxtaposition. If I want to convince you to wash your hands, I may say, “thou shalt wash thy hands.” This connects the idea of washing one’s hands to the commandments. Many people respect the commandments; therefore, those people will begin to associate hand washing with the same reverence given to a commandment.” This also may seem a little funny to some people.

Humor is another rhetorical technique.

Allusion/Reference

Humor

Humor can be used in very persuasive ways. It can be used to “win you over,” to make you like the writer and, therefore, like his or her ideas. Humor comes in many forms.

hyperbole (exaggeration) understatement irony (verbal, situational, dramatic, and cosmic) sacrasm

Attitude, Tone, or Mood

These three literary terms are essentially the same. You can think of an ATM machine to help you remember them. They are by definition the emotional feelings aroused by the chosen diction. Sometimes you can tell the emotional state of the writer (or the writing) by examining individual words. Writers who choose diction as a means to contribute to tone are using tone as a rhetorical technique.

Here is a list of rhetorical strategies and their general functions.Device Function

Analogy To make a pointed comparison, often a very powerful comparison

Metaphor To make a pointed comparison, often a very powerful comparison

Simile To make a pointed comparison, often a very powerful comparison

Hyperbole deliberate exaggeration for emphasis; “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”

Understatement or litotes

opposite of hyperbole, intensifies an idea by understatement; “Oh, it was nothing.”

Juxtaposition the placing of contrasting settings, characters, or other literary elements in opposition between paragraphs or between sections of text to highlight an intended disparity.

Device Function

Imagery To illustrate an idea, a feelings, or the particular qualities of something; to produce a feeling or an idea

Alliteration To create a memorable phraseAllusion To lend authority to an idea, to make

an association with something the reader knows

Anaphora a form of a regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or strategically placed paragraphs.

Repetition To create a memorable, powerful effect, to reinforce an idea

Parallelism a set of similarly structured words, phrases, or clauses

Device Function

Tone the accumulated and implied attitude toward the subject reached by analyzing diction, detail, syntax, and all other figurative language elements.

Undertone To communicate an attitude towards the subject that cuts beyond the attitude that appears on the surface

Words with heavy connotations

To cast the subject in a particular light, to imply

Irony the speaker means something other than what is said; the unexpected; a difference between what is stated to be literally true and what the reader knows to be true

Paradox a statement that appears to be contradictory but, in fact, has some truth: “He worked hard at being lazy.”

Device Function

Anecdote To provide a concrete example or humanize an abstract event

Humor To disarm the audience, diffuse hostility, warm the reader to the writer’s ideas

Satire To ridicule and inspire reform

Sarcasm, verbal irony To ridicule or criticize

Invective (insulting or abusive language)

To ridicule, chastise or convey contempt

Appeals to reason (logic), emotion (pathos), patriotism, religion, ethics (ethos)

To provoke the audience to respond in a particular way, to tap a reader’s values

Synecdoche one word that makes the reader think of all things in the class, so “all hands on deck” refers to all helpers

Device Function

Rhetorical question To provoke the reader to respond or to think, or to lead them to the next idea

Short, staccato sentences To call attention to an idea

Antithesis the placing of opposing or contrasting ideas and/or words within the same sentence or very close together to emphasize their disparity

Asyndeton conjunctions are omitted, producing fast-paced and rapid prose to speed up the reader so as to have the reader experience the events along with the persona in a rapid succession

Polysyndeton the use of many conjunctions has the opposite effect of asyndeton; it slows the pace of the reader

Device Function

Paralipsis the device of giving emphasis by professing to say little or nothing about a subject, as in not to mention their unpaid debts of several million. To draw attention to something while pretending no to do so . A kind of irony.

Narrative pace To convey energy or intense feelings ( or lack thereof)