Analyzing Rhetorical Devices

Analyzing Rhetorical Devices in "I Have a Dream" by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr was a powerful speaker. He used some rhetorical devices to help make his message more persuasive. 

Rhetorical Devices:

• ways writers and speakers use words that make their message more effective

• They use these devices to emphasize, explain, unify ideas, and to persuade.

Multiple Choice

What are rhetorical devices?

• words used in poetry

• words writers and speakers use that can explain, persuade, unify ideas, or emphasize.

There are many kinds of rhetorical devices.

Here are a few to get you started!

Remember our basic Rhetorical Appeals...

• Logos- an appeal to our logic or reasoning (specific reasons, data, numbers)

• Pathos- an appeal to our emotions (emotional words; images that try to create strong emotions)

• Ethos- an appeal that tries to make people think you can believe or trust a person (look for the use of famous people and their words, expert opinions, etc...

Multiple Choice

The appeal of Ethos might use _________ to try to persuade a person

• numbers

• famous people

• emotional words

Multiple Choice

Pathos is an appeal to our--

• emotions

• logic

• trust in an expert

Multiple Choice

______ may be used in logos to appeal to our logic

• Reasons

• Numbers

• Reasons and numbers

Allusion

• it is a reference to a well known person, place, event, movie, book, or song.

• Example- If I bet more pets, I will have to build an ark. (a reference to Noah who built a large boat for animals )

• Example- Carl and Joe went to the movies. Joe never had any money, so before they got there, Carl said, "Show me the money." (show me the money is an allusion to a line in the movie, "Jerry McGuire.

Multiple Choice

What is the allusion in this sentence? Sally had a smile that rivaled the Mona Lisa.

• Sally

• smile

• Mona Lisa

Repetition: Repeating a word or phrase in order to emphasize an idea.

• Example “Nory was a Catholic because her mother was a Catholic, and Nory’s mother was a Catholic because her father was a Catholic, and her father was a Catholic because his mother was a Catholic, or had been.” Nicholson Baker, The Everlasting Story of Nory

• "I want her to live. I want her to breathe. I want her to aerobicize." Weird Science

Multiple Choice

Look at the picture. What phrase is repeated?

• I want to...

• touch the flame

Metaphor- a comparison between 2 unlike things

• Example- You are my sunshine. ( You and sunshine are being compared. The writer of this song wants us to understand that "you" is a person who is like sunshine in some way.

• My teacher is a witch. (The teacher is being compared to a witch. She is probably mean like a witch)

Simile- a comparison between 2 unlike things using the words like or as to connect the comparison.

• Example- He eats like a pig. (He is compared to a pig. The boy probably is messy when he eats.)

• Example-John ran like the wind. (John ran very fast just like the wind.)

Multiple Select

Which of these is a metaphor?

• This school is a prison.

• School is like a prison.

• Love is a rose.

• Love is like a rose.

Multiple Select

Which of these is a simile?

• Love is like a rose.

• Love is a rose.

• The runner was as fast as a hurricane.

• The runner was a hurricane.