Rhetorical Devices

​Rhetorical Devices

By Amarah Johnson

Symbolism Review

Definition & example: A dove = peace

Multiple Choice

Which object could symbolize change?

• A broken mirror

• A butterfly

• A locked door

• A rock

Multiple Choice

Excerpt: “The caged bird sings of freedom.”

What does the caged bird symbolize?

• A literal bird

• Joy

• Oppression

Multiple Choice

Identify the device: “Her voice was music to his ears.”

• Simile

• Hyperbole

• Metaphor

• Personification

Multiple Choice

Which sentence shows personification?

• The tree branches waved goodbye.

• The exam was hard as stone.

Figurative → Rhetorical Device

• Figurative = creative description

• Rhetorical = persuasion + emphasis can be reused multiple times. Wish you a good day.

Figurative Language

Simile-
Metaphor-
Personification-
Hyperbole-
Imagery- descriptive language that appeals to the 5 senses.

Rhetorical Appeals

Ethos-Appeals to the writer's credibility(Expert)

Pathos-Appeal to the audience emotions

Logos- Appeal to logic and reasoning

Rhetorical Devices

Irony-Irony is a contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. Saying to a friend during a terrible storm, "What a perfect day for a picnic!"

Rhetorical Question- A question that requires no answer

Antithesis- a literary device that places two opposing ideas or concepts in a balanced, parallel grammatical structure to highlight their contrast.

Zeugma-a figure of speech where a single word modifies two or more words in a sentence, but in a different way for each. For example, "On his fishing trip, he caught three trout and a cold," the word "caught" applies literally to the trout and figuratively to the cold.

Multiple Choice

Doctors recommend brushing twice a day

• Ethos

• Pathos

• Logos

Multiple Choice

If we don't act now, imagine the suffering

• logos

• pathos

• ethos

Multiple Choice

Studies show students who read daily score higher

• logos

• ethos