Rhetorical Terms
What is the author's attitude toward his subject often referred to in literature?
Tone
Also called a proposition – answers the question “What are you trying to prove?
Claim
Arguing against the man instead of against the issue. Example: We can’t elect him mayor. He cheats on his wife! Or: He doesn’t really believe in the First Amendment. He just wants to defend his right to hold racist views.
Ad Hominen
A proposal that relies heavily on strong emotional reactions.
Appeal to Emotion
arranged in order of climax; withholds important or critical information to make the end information a surprise.
Periodic Sentance
The relationship an author has toward his or her subject, and/or his or her audience called?
Attitude
An indirect way of expressing; to talk around a topic, essentially avoiding it
Circumlocution
The conclusion does not follow logically from the premise. Example: My teacher is pretty; I’ll learn a lot from her. Or: John McCain was a war hero; he’ll be willing to stand tough for America.
non sequitur
an argument that focuses heavily on expert opinions, statistics, and factual evidence.
Appeal to authority
contains 2 independent clauses and a dependent clause
compound-complex sentence?
Interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning.
Connotation
Having identical or very similar sentence structure. Example: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Parrell Structrue
A generalization based on too little evidence, or on evidence that is biased. Example: All men are testosterone-driven idiots. Or: After being in New York for a week, I can tell you: all New Yorkers are rude.
Generalization
arguments that promise to protect our values (success, freedom, equality, courage, etc.)
Appeal to Values
A passage can read slow or fast depending on things like Length of words Omission of words Length of sentence Number of dependent clauses etc.
narrative pace
Aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience?
Pathos
Compares two things, which are alike in several respects, for the purpose of explaining or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or object by showing how the idea or object is similar to some familiar one.
Analogy
Asserting a point that has just been made. Sometimes called “begging the question.” Example: She is ignorant because she was never educated. Or: We sin because we’re sinners.
Circular Reasoning
asserts that specific courses of action should be instituted as solutions to problems
Claim of Policy
The rhythm of a sentence that comes through parallel elements and repetition of sounds.
Cadence
A question not answered by the writer because its answer is obvious or obviously desired, and usually just a yes or no. It is used for effect, emphasis, or provocation, or for drawing a conclusionary statement from the facts at hand.
Rhetorical question
An assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it.
Paradox
The mistake of assuming that, because event a is followed by event b, event a caused event b. Example: It rained today because I washed my car. Or: The stock market fell because the Japanese are considering implementing an import tax.
Post Hoc
asserts that a condition has existed, exists, or will exist and is based on facts or data that the audience will accept as being objectively verifiable
Claim of Fact
Consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. Ex: “But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.” President Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
asyndeton