Rhetorical Devices Used by Speakers and Writers

1
Rhetorical Devices Used by Speakers and Writers

• Rhetorical devices are the nuts and bolts of
  speech and writing the parts that make a
  communication work. Separately, each part of is
  meaningless, but once put together they create a
  powerful effect on the listener/reader.
• Lets remember these strategies with the acronym
  P.J. FARV PHAT

2
Polysyndeton

• using several conjunctions in close succession,
  especially where some might be omittedused to
  stress the importance of each item
• murdered my God and my soul and turned my
  dreams to ashes.

3
Juxtaposition

• the act of positioning contrasting elements close
  together
• the children whose bodies I saw transformed
  into smoke under a silent sky.
• Bodies are solid smoke is ethereal. Burning
  children is a horror silent sky is beautiful.

4
Figurative Language

• People like to think in metaphors. Figurative
  speech tends to work best when set off by
  concrete images.
• turned my life into one long night seven times
  sealed.
• those flames that consumed my faith forever
• turned my dreams to ashes

5
Allusion

• By using allusion, you not only associate
  yourself with the ideas of the original text but
  also create a bond with the audience by evoking
  shared knowledge
• seven times sealed refers to the Jewish belief
  that seven is a number of completion 7 days in a
  week, 7 blessings recited at weddings, 1st verse
  of Torah has 7 words, Egyptian plagues were 7
  days, and more.
• This passage has 7 sentences that start Never
  shall I forget

6
Repetition

• Repetition can be effective in creating a sense
  of structure and power. In both speech and
  literature, repeating small phrases can ingrain
  an idea in the minds of the audience.

• Never shall I forget
• Never shall I forget
• Never shall I forget

7
Varied Sentence Length

• Varying the sentence length is always a good way
  to strengthen any writing style, be it speech
  writing or essays.
• Some of the sentences in this section are 2 lines
  long, but we also have the short sentences,
  Never shall I forget that smoke, and Never.

8
Stop.

• Polysyndeton ands
• Juxtaposition 2 opposites nearby
• Figurative Language
• Allusion reference to famous thing
• Repetition
• Varied Sentence length

9
Parallelism

• Writing structures that are grammatically
  parallel helps the reader understand the points
  better because they flow more smoothly.
• p.83 The last night in Buna, the last night in
  the ghetto, the last night in the cattle car,
  and, now, the last night in Buna.

10
Hypophora

• Hypophora is when the speaker first asks a
  question and then answers it.
• p.81 Were the SS really going to leave hundreds
  of prisoners behind in the infirmaries, pending
  the arrival of their liberators? Were they really
  going to allow Jews to hear the clock strike
  twelve? Of course not.

11
Antithesis

• A figure of speech in which sharply contrasting
  ideas are juxtaposed in a balanced or parallel
  phrase or grammatical structure
• When their voices are stifled, we shall lend
  them ourswhile their freedom depends on ours,
  the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.
  Wiesels Nobel Prize acceptance speech

• "It was the best of times, it was the worst of
  times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age
  of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it
  was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season
  of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was
  the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
  we had everything before us, we had nothing
  before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we
  were all going direct the other way."(Dickens, A
  Tale of Two Cities)

12
Tricolon

• A tricolon is a list of three, or a sentence in
  which there are three parts or clauses. The
  cumulative effect of three has a powerful effect
  on an audience.
• p.86 Dont think, dont stop, run!
• p.87 We had transcended everything death,
  fatigue, our natural needs.

13
Rhetorical Persuasive Appeals

• Ethosappeal to ethics asks the reader/listener
  to look favorably on the writer/speaker stresses
  the writer/speakers intelligence, competence,
  fairness, morality, and other qualities desirable
  in a trustworthy leader.
• --We shall see the day of liberation. Have faith
  in life, a thousand times faithWe are all
  brothers and share the same fate. The same smoke
  hovers over all our heads (guard in Auschwitz
  using ethos) p. 41

14
Rhetorical Persuasive Appeals

• Logosrational appeal asks the readers to use
  their intellects and powers of reasoning. It
  relies on established conventions of logic and
  evidence.
• -- The first three days went by quickly. On the
  fourth day, as we stood in front of our tent, the
  Kapos appeared.  Each one began to choose the men
  he liked.
• -- We received no food.  We lived on snow it
  took the place of bread.
• -- At the entrance to the camp, SS officers were
  waiting for us.  We were counted. Then we were
  directed to the Appleplatz. 
• -- I remained in Buchenwald until April 11.

15
Rhetorical Persuasive Appeals

• Pathosan emotional appeal asks readers to
  respond out of their beliefs, values, or
  feelings. It inspires, affirms, frightens,
  angers.
• Her little boy was crying, clinging to her skin,
  trying to hold her hand. p.25
• The SS made us increase our pace. Faster, you
  tramps, you flea-ridden dogsFaster, you filthy
  dogs!