Rhetorical Devices and Literary Techniques Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Devices and Literary Techniques auditionRhetorical devices and literary techniques atomic number 18 c drop awayly related to tone and flair. In fact, an authors style partly consists of selecting and using certain devices an authors tone is partially determined by the pillow slip of techniques an author uses. Many SAT books leave list lots of Greek terms you dont need to know, such as synecdoche and anaphora.But the Critical Reading section wont gather up that you know the names of rhetorical devices or literary techniques. Rather than bombard you with dozens of unfamiliar terms, well reason and clump the most common types of devices and techniques below and provide some suits and commentary. As we said, you wont be specifically tested on these concepts, just they do lurk beneath the surface in the passages. Having a solid chthonianstanding of these devices and techniques testament improve your ability to handle RPs.Focus on absorbing the similarities and di fferences mingled with and among them. As you read through the list, none the one key feature all of these techniques and devices share they result words and sentences to carry more than only their literal meaning. Here is a list of the most important devices and techniques. Weve included examples along with commentary on each one HyperboleIm as hungry as a starving lion. Hyperbole is a synonym for exaggeration. Clearly, the talker is not genuinely as hungry as a starving lion. A hyperbole is just a gauge of speech we use to emphasize a point. The polar device is understatement Im a petty tired is a purposeful understatement if the speaker has been up for 48 hours. Repetition Duty does not cornet honesty. Duty does not trump common sense. And trade, my booster doses, does not trump morality. Repetition is the conscious and purposeful counter of words or phrases in order to make a point.In this example, its clear that the limits of duty are existence sketched out. The spe aker is trying to show that duty is not the only or hitherto the most important virtue. Imagery and Figurative Language Simile Her eyes were like stars. Her eyes are literally human eyes. Figuratively, they are being compared to stars, meaning, most likely, that they are bright and shiny and cause wonderment. This is an example of a simile. Similes use like and as to make explicit similitudes between unlike things, such as eyes and stars. Metaphor Her eyes were pools of liquid light. Again, her eyes are literally human eyes.Figuratively, they are being compared to pools of liquid light. However, the comparison is implied, not stated. This is an example of a metaphor. Unlike similes, metaphors compare unlike things without explicitly stating the comparison with like or as. Personification Her eyes followed me up the stairs. Can eyes follow someone up the stairs? Not literally, but in this case an eyewhich is not a personis effrontery a persons abilities, namely, following someone else up the stairs. This is an example of personification. Symbolism Her eyes looked but did not prove. All was dark.Literally speaking, eyes either see (healthy eyes) or they dont see (blind eyes). An eye that looks but does not see is blind in a figurative sense. Very often, batch and light are symbols for understanding and enlightenment. In this example, the woman is most likely unaware ofor in the darkabout something.This is an example of symbolism. Sound Patterns Her eyes were rippling pools of liquid light in which I splashed playfully. This metaphor also uses sound patterns to underscore its meaning. Note that the letters l and p borrow rippling pools of liquid lightsplashed playfully.The author may have reduplicateed l and p sounds to evoke the sound of water (like in the word splash itself) or simply to link unneurotic the words that make up the metaphoror both. There are many types of sound-pattern devices, each with its feature difficult Greek name that you certain ly wont need to know. Rhetorical Questions Can pauperization ever be eradicated?Rhetorical questions are not meant to be answered. A rhetorical question is apply to present whats taken to be an unanswerable question, such as these questions Can a repeat offender ever be trusted not to commit another crime?Can a person ever have too much love? A rhetorical question lot also be one in which the authors answer is clearly intended to be no or yes. In these two examples, the authors answer is clearly intended to be no (whether you agree with those answers or not).Idioms and Cliches Thatll cost you an arm and a leg. Idioms are inherited quirks of language that inborn speakers understand without question but which cause nonnative speakers endless trouble. Only a native speaker knows that if something costs an arm and a leg that means its expensive, not that you actually need to lose your limbs to purchase it.Many overused idioms and symbols are cliches, and cliches themselves can be u sed ironically (see irony below). Irony Said to a mean boss Youve been so kind to me. The SAT loves irony. A statement is ironic if it expresses something different from or opposite to the literal meaning of the words. This example is called verbal irony or sarcasm, which can be thought of as heavy-handed irony The overuse of antibiotics has led to the rise of resistant strains of many diseases.A statement or situation can be ironic or paradoxical when the words accurately report events that expect to be contradictory but which have actually occurred, as in this example A pass has returned from a war. He crashes his ride and dies. His war experiences are told in flashback. Whenever he thinks about death, a motorcycle drives by.A specific literary use of irony is called dramatic irony. In the example above, the audience knows that the soldier will die in a motorcycle crash. The soldier himself, of course, doesnt know how he will die. (A flashback, by the way, is another literary device made popular by the movies.Flashbacks jump back in the storys chronology to give background information. For example, the opening scene of the film captain of the Rings slip away of the King shows Gollum before he found the ring. ) Foreshadowing A soldier goes to war. He survives many bestial battles, just barely missing being killed several times.The soldier becomes obsessed with his good luck wherefore does he survive when so many others die? Every time the soldier has a clang with death, the author makes some subtle mention of a black motorcycle. Eventually, the soldiers best friend is killed in a motorcycle crash the day after the war has ended.The soldier himself comes home and not too long afterward, he dies by crashing his motorcycle. In this example, the audience and character are equally vile about the outcome of the story. However, by using foreshadowing, the author begins to clue in his audience. The characters dowery is slowly revealed to the audience but no t necessarily to the character himself. Note that the ending to this story is doubly ironicwas the soldier meant to die in a motorcycle crash or did he call for it about through his own guilt about surviving while others perished?The theme of free will versus predetermination underlies this little story. Motif The motorcycle in the last two examples. A motif is a symbol that is carried through an entire work of fiction. The motorcycle symbolized death throughout both stories. In the Lord of the Rings, the One Ring is a motif for the corrupting nature of power. Now that you have all these concepts under your belt, its time to learn the most efficient way to use your knowledge on testlike items and sets.