A brief story or tale
Anecdote
Focus statement of an essay; premise statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based.
Thesis (Claim)
attempts to persuade the listener through use of deductive reasoning, logic, or intelligence
Logical appeal (logos)
The person(s) reached by a piece of writing.
Audience
a piece of content intended to induce a viewer, reader, or listener to peform a specific act, typically taking the form of an instruction or directive (e.g. buy now or click here ).
Call to action
a brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object that the audience should be familiar with
Allusion
Information or rumor deliberately spread to help or harm a person, group, or institution
Propaganda
Sensory details in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object. Involves any or all of the five senses.
Imagery
What is implied by a word or the feelings associated with a word. Can be negative, positive, etc.
Connotation
pointing out where another's ideas need modification
correction of erroneous views
Comparison of two things that are alike in some respects. Metaphors and similes are both examples of this device. "Like sand through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives."
Analogy
Recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences equal in importance. It also adds balance, rhythm, and clarity to the sentence. (a repetition in word patterns or structure)
Parallelism
The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of words of the story; the speaker, a
"person" telling the story or poem. (persona)
Voice
prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
Bias
using excessive praise; can feel insincere
flattery
A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief.
Aphorism
recognizing someone for their special knowledge
Appeals to authority
The attitude a writer or speaker takes towards their subject and theme.
Tone
resistance or dissent, expressed in action or argument. Rivals, opponents, the other side or team.
Opposition
attempts to convince the audience that God is on the side of the speaker
Holy War
A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.
Extended Metaphor
substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it
Metonymy
The dictionary definition of a word; the direct and specific meaning
Denotation
an argument or set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea or theory developed in another argument.
Counterargument
logical argument that attempts to convince the audience they have no other choice but to accept their views
last resort