Literary Terms Review:
• Rhetoric – • The art of using language for a
specific purpose• The art of analyzing all the choices
involving language that a writer, speaker, reader, or listener might make in a situation so that the text becomes meaningful, purposeful and effective;
Literary Terms Review:
• The key to understanding rhetoric is understanding how a writer appeals to his audience.
• There are three kinds of appeals a writer uses to pull her reader in: – Logos: logical appeal to sense of reason
and logic – Ethos: ethical appeal based on writer’s
expertise– Pathos: emotional appeal aimed at the
reader’s hearts or sense of right and wrong
Tone
Tone: The writer’s (or narrator, speaker, etc.) attitude toward the subject matter or situation in the text (bitter, angry, jovial, etc.)
The writer creates tone by Word selection (diction) Arrangement of words (syntax) Purposeful use of details and
images
Tone, cont’d.
Tone sets the relationship between reader and writer
Understanding tone is key to understanding meaning. It helps you perceive the author’s mood It makes the connection between the
author’s thoughts and its expression.
Tone, cont’d.
Identifying and analyzing tone requires Careful reading Sensitivity to diction and syntax Understanding of detail selection and
imagery
Diction
Diction refers to the writer’s choice of words. Words create color and texture in written
work. Words shape the reader’s perceptions.
Diction reflects the writer’s vision for the work and steers the reader’s thought.
Diction
You must understand both connotations (the meaning suggested by a word) and denotation (the literal meaning of a word). When a writer calls a character slender,
the word evokes a different feeling from calling the character gaunt.
Diction—So Fresh!
Diction can bring freshness and originality to writing. Words used in surprising or unusual
ways make us rethink what is known and re-examine meaning of words.
Detail
Examples include facts, observations, and incidents used to develop a subject and impact voice.
Specific details create a precise mental picture They bring life and color to description They focus the reader’s attention They bring the reader into the scene
Detail
Details influence the reader’s view of the topic, the setting, the narrator, and the author.
Details shape attitude by focusing attention: The more focused the detail, the greater
the focus on the object described.
Imagery in Poetry
Imagery, or the use of vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the human senses to add depth to the work; helps us see poetic subjects afresh or anew. Poetry mostly draws upon the sense of
sight to help us form, in our minds, visual impressions
“The Red Wheelbarrow” and “This is Just to Say” are poems that rely heavily on imagery.
Imagery
A verbal representation of sensory experience. All five senses may be represented:▪ Sight (visual imagery)▪ Sound (auditory imagery)▪ Touch (tactile imagery)▪ Taste (gustatory imagery)▪ Smell (olfactory imagery)
Visual imagery is most common, but good writers experiment with a variety of images.
Imagery, cont’d.
Imagery depends on diction and detail. An image’s success in producing sensory
experience results from ▪ specificity of the author’s diction and ▪ choice of detail.
Imagery contributes to writing by evoking vivid experience, conveying specific emotion, and suggesting a particular idea.
Imagery, cont’d.
Figurative language: Imagery itself is not figurative, but it
may be used to impart a figurative or symbolic meaning.▪ Example: The parched earth▪ Could be a metaphor for a character’s despair
▪ Example: A bird’s flight▪ Could be a metaphor for hope
Traditional imagery
Traditional imagery typically has a history A river, for example, is usually
associated with life’s journey.▪ Examples for your own reading?
Figurative Language
Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language.
Examples include: Simile Metaphor Personification Alliteration Onomatopoeia Hyperbole Idioms Clichés
Figurative Language
Simile A simile uses the words “like” or “as” to compare one
object or idea with another to suggest they are alike.Example: busy as a bee
Metaphor The metaphor states a fact or draws a verbal picture by
the use of comparison. A simile would say you are like something; a metaphor is more positive - it says you are something. Example: You are what you eat.
Personification A figure of speech in which human characteristics are
given to an animal or an object.Example: My teddy bear gave me a hug.
Figurative Language
Alliteration The repetition of the same initial letter, sound, or group
of sounds in a series of words. Alliteration includes tongue twisters.Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.
Onomatopoeia The use of a word to describe or imitate a natural sound
or the sound made by an object or an action.Example: snap crackle pop
Hyperbole An exaggeration that is so dramatic that no one would
believe the statement is true. Tall tales are hyperboles.Example: He was so hungry, he ate that whole cornfield for lunch, stalks and all.
Figurative Language
Idioms According to Webster's Dictionary, an idiom is
defined as: peculiar to itself either grammatically (as no, it wasn't me) or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements.Example: “At the drop of a hat,” meaning without any hesitation or instantly
Clichés A cliché is an expression that has been used so
often that it has become trite and sometimes boring.Example: It is raining cats and dogs outside!
Syntax
Syntax refers to the way sentences are structured. Although basic structure is prescribed
(there must be a subject and a verb; word order cannot be random), there is some wiggle room for style.
Syntax, cont’d.
How writers control and manipulate the sentence imparts personality to the writing.
Syntax encompasses Word order Sentence length Sentence focus Punctuation
Syntax, cont’d.
Deviating from the expected word order can serve to startle the reader and draw attention to the sentence.
Most English sentences follow a subject/verb/object/complement pattern
This emphasizes an unusual sentence’s message
Syntax, cont’d.
There are several ways to change normal word order: Inverting the subject and verb▪ Am I ever sorry!
Placing a complement at the beginning of a sentence▪ Hungry, without a doubt, he is.▪ Don’t do this too often—you start to sound like Yoda!
Placing an object in front of a verb▪ Sara I like—not Susan.
Syntax, cont’d.
Good writers shift between conformity and nonconformity, preventing reader complacency without using unusual sentence structure to the point of distraction.
Syntax, cont’d.
Length: Writers vary sentence length to prevent reader boredom and to control emphasis. A short sentence following a much
longer sentence shifts the reader’s attention, which emphasizes the meaning and importance of the short sentence.▪ Learn to look for a relationship between
sentence length and emphasis
Syntax: Syntactic tension
Sentences that delay closure until the end are called periodic sentences.
Readers must wait until the end of the sentence to understand the meaning. Example: As long as we ignore our
children and refuse to dedicate the necessary time and money to their care, we will fail to solve the problem of school violence.
Syntax: Repetition
Writers use repetition to achieve sentence focus. Purposeful repetition of a word, phrase,
or clause emphasizes the repeated structure and focuses the reader’s attention on its meaning.
Syntax: Punctuation
Writers use punctuation to reinforce meaning.
In particular, semicolons, colons and dashes: The semicolon gives equal weight to
two or more independent clauses in a sentence. It balances parallel ideas and shows that both parts are equally important.
Syntax: Punctuation
Writer’s use punctuation to reinforce meaning.
In particular, semicolons, colons and dashes: The colon directs the readers attention
to the words that follow. ▪ It can also be used between two clauses if
the second one summarizes or explains the first.▪ It sets the expectation that important, closely
related information will follow, and words after the colon are emphasized
Syntax: Punctuation
Writer’s use punctuation to reinforce meaning.
In particular, semicolons, colons and dashes: The dash marks a sudden change in
thought or tone, sets off a brief summary, or sets off a parenthetical part of the sentence.▪ It often conveys a casual tone.▪ Used for emphasis