Rhetorical Devices
World-class musician Joshua Bell did a social experiment that involved performing for commuters on a Washington D.C. subway platform on this instrument.
What is a violin?
To describe the condition in which most humans live, Plato uses this as a central metaphor.
What is a cave?
An effective introduction for a rhetorical analysis essay only needs to be this long.
What is one or two sentences?
The amount of time given to complete the essay portion of the exam.
What is two hours and fifteen minutes?
Joe Posnanski's article tracing the tradition of playing The Star-Spangled Banner at sporting events was spurred by this NFL quarterback's controversial behavior.
Who is Colin Kaepernick?
President John F. Kennedy delivered a scathing criticism of these people in a 1962 press conference.
Who are steel executives?
According to the hierarchy of evidence, this tends to be the best evidence to utilize in an argument essay.
What is a good, specific example from personal experience?
The amount of time given to complete the multiple choice section of the exam.
What is one hour?
Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie warns us about the dangers of this in her TED talk.
What is the single story?
In his commencement speech to Kenyon College's graduating class of 2005, David Foster Wallace claims that this is our default setting.
What is selfishness, or self-centeredness?
This is the best way to present a quote in any essay.
What is embedding it, or what is an embedded quote?
The number of questions you should leave blank on the multiple choice exam.
What is 0? BUT...skip the hard ones and come back to them later!
All of the events leading up to Edgar Maddison Welch's shooting at Washington D.C.'s Comet Ping Pong pizzaria are known collectively as this.
What is Pizzagate?
Brian Doyle uses this animal as an analogy in his essay about the fragility of the heart.
What is...
--The hummingbird
--The blue whale
--The tortoise
This type of thesis is fine for rhetorical analysis and rough drafts, but it is too simplistic for argument and synthesis essays.
What is the "junior high list" thesis?
The MINIMUM number of provided sources you need to cite in your synthesis essay.
What is three?
"Mr. Hamann might be the tallest man in the universe, but Mr. Messer is literally a bazillion times better looking" is an example of this rhetorical device.
What is hyperbole? (Don't be confused: Only the first example is hyperbole.)
According to David Dunning, we are all this.
What are confident idiots?
She was publicly shamed for sneaking boys in at 1:00 am.
Who is Jasmine?
This explains how the evidence ties to your claim.
What is a warrant? (Also acceptable: What is an explanation? What is analysis?)
The only tool you should bring to the exam besides writing utensils (and have it sitting out where you can see it!)
What is a watch?