...cinematic, and Bragg exemplifies an awareness of time. “All Over but the Shoutin'” is a haunting memoir about the struggle of accepting a parent who has abandoned his own flesh and blood. It emphasizes on both personal history and on the historical context in which the events took place. The memoir hooks the reader and peaks their interest, further forcing them into inquiring for more. The author recalls when, as a teenager, he paid a final visit to his dying father. He explained how hard it was visiting him for the first and last time since he left, and how difficult it was to confront his abandonment. Through strong diction and tone, rhetorical devices, and the conflict shown, Bragg displays the theme of being trapped between forgiving and hating his father. Before Bragg allows the reader to fully...
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...Moore−Parker: Critical Thinking, Ninth Edition 5. Persuasion Through Rhetoric: Common Devices and Techniques Text © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2009 Chapter Persuasion Through Rhetoric 5 It’s just the way things are: Images and impressions tend to sell more products than good arguments do. At least some of the images are fun. Common Devices and Techniques W hen the military uses the phrase “self-injurious behavior incidents” regarding detainees at Guantánamo Bay, it means what most of us call “attempted suicides.” In fact, when the word “detainees” is used, it means what most of us call “prisoners.” “Waterboarding” sounds at first like something you’d expect to see young people doing on a California beach, not a torture technique that involves forced simulated drowning. Less remarkable, perhaps, but possibly more relevant for most of us, we’ve heard the term “downsized” used when someone is fired or laid off. “Ethnic cleansing” covers everything from deportation to genocide. What we have to say may be important, but the words we choose to say it with can be equally important. The examples just given are cases of a certain type of linguistic coercion—an attempt to get us to adopt a particular attitude toward a subject that, if described differently, would seem less attractive to us. Words have tremendous persuasive power, or what we have called their rhetorical force or emotive meaning—their power to express and elicit images, feelings, and emotional...
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...Figures of Speech (Stylistic Devices) What are stylistic devices? In literature and writing, a figure of speech (also called stylistic device or rhetorical device) is the use of any of a variety of techniques to give an auxiliary meaning, idea, or feeling. Sometimes a word diverges from its normal meaning, or a phrase has a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it. Examples are metaphor, simile, or personification. Stylistic devices often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. A simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, often introduced with the word "like" or "as". It takes the form of: * X is (not) like Y * X is (not) as Y * X is (not) similar to Y Examples of simile: * He fights like a lion. * He swims as fast as a fish. * He slithers like a snake. * "My dad was a mechanic by trade when he was in the Army, When he got the tools out, he was like a surgeon." What is a metaphor? Unlike simile, metaphor (from the Greek language: meaning "transfer") is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects. It is a figure of speech that compares two or more things not using like or as. In the simplest case, this takes the form: X - is - Y Examples of metaphor: All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; (William Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2/7) Example: “Henry was a lion on the battlefield”. This...
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...A Preface of Quotations Whoever desires for his writings or himself, what none can reasonably condemn,the favor of mankind, must add grace to strength, and make his thoughts agreeable as well as useful. Many complain of neglect who never tried to attract regard. It cannot be expected that the patrons of science or virtue should be solicitous to discover excellencies which they who possess them shade and disguise. Few have abilities so much needed by the rest of the world as to be caressed on their own terms; and he that will not condescend to recommend himself by external embellishments must submit to the fate of just sentiments meanly expressed, and be ridiculed and forgotten before he is understood. --Samuel Johnson Men must be taught as if you taught them not; And things unknown propos'd as things forgot. --Alexander Pope Style in painting is the same as in writing, a power over materials, whether words or colors, by which conceptions or sentiments are conveyed. --Sir Joshua Reynolds Whereas, if after some preparatory grounds of speech by their certain forms got into memory, they were led to the praxis thereof in some chosen short book lessoned thoroughly to them, they might then forthwith proceed to learn the substance of good things, and arts in due order, which would bring the whole language quickly into their power. --John Milton Introduction Good writing depends upon more than making a collection of statements worthy of belief, because writing is intended to...
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...Stylistic devices Repetition and Variation |stylistic device |definition |translation |example |effect | |alliteration |recurrence of initial sound |Alliteration |“The fair breeze blew, |to convey auditory images | | | | |the white foam flew.” | | |accumulation |series of expressions (adjectives, cliches, |Anhäufung |“He came, saw, fought and won” |to make the language livelier | | |examples, images) that contribute increasingly to | | | | | |meaning | | | | |anaphora |repetition of first word(s) of line/clause |Anapher |In every town, in every house...
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...inviting, it forces the reader to come to the conclusion that Jim is longing for something that he once had; A childhood in which Ántonia was a large part of. And now it’s 20 years later and it becomes just how apparent things have a changed. Cather is truly extraordinary at conveying these meanings through her seemingly simple tone. Cather has used tone, longing diction, and the description of the setting to convey an overall message. On the Cuzak’s farm, 20 years after Jim had last seen Ántonia, Jim longs for what once was. Seeing Ántonia with all of her children has left him longing for his own childhood in which Ántonia played a crucial role. It was never explicitly stated, but Cather’s message was loud and clear through her use of these rhetorical...
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...ironies as those produced by transposing a Yankee to King Arthur’s Court). It seems clear when retracing the development of Twain’s style through his career that his use of irony—always one of his key rhetorical devices—becomes increasingly heavy- handed the older and the angrier he became. Huck’s “failure” is innocent; that of the con- gregation in “The War-Prayer” is not. Albert Bigelow Paine quotes Twain as writing on New Year’s Eve 1900-01: A GREETING FROM THE NINETEENTH TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY I bring you the stately nation named Christendom, returning, bedraggled, besmirched, and dishonored, from pirate raids in Kiao-Chou, Manchuria, South Africa, and the Phil- ippines, with her soul full of meanness, her pocket full of boodle, and her mouth full of pious hypocrisies. Give her soap and a towel, but hide the looking-glass. (Europe xxxiv) Here, only the adjective “stately” tells us that the intended tone is irony, before Twain starts hammering home his point; and it is precisely the behavior of Christendom in the Philippines that would lead, in 1904-5, to the barely disguised fury that makes “The War- Prayer”’s irony so unsubtle. Unsubtle is not the same as ineffective, of course, but insidi- ousness usually serves irony better. It was still Twain’s only appropriate rhetorical device, however, given that irony is inherently dualistic: it says or implies one thing, it means another; it has a stated (often false) meaning, and a silent (true)...
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...Strengths: According to the instructor feedback, my personal understanding, and peer critiques, my essay’s strengths include a solid understanding of the purpose of the article, clear development of the thesis statement and sharp recognition of the audience. According to the instructor’s feedback, my introduction is the strongest part of my paper. My introduction seems to be well-organized, clear and concise. It also contains all the necessary components for a further analysis of the article showing insights of the rhetorical choices being analyzed. My thesis statement and main points are well-defined, precise and convincing. I also did well on following the MLA style guidelines. My quotations and in-text citations are consistently well worked. I believe also that I showed relevant improvement on words choices, sentences structure and logical reasoning....
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...Chris Weigant Throughout the article are many rhetorical devices such as a hyperbole, dysphemism, and many others. The rhetorical devices throughout this article could be categorized by short phrases and ways that the author is trying to get his point across. However, there are also rhetorical devices used throughout the article that are just making assumptions on the topic. This article gets the point of the author across very clearly; I believe this is where the rhetorical devices he come in. by using all these diverse rhetorical devices it helps the writer to say what he wants and lets the reader to be more on his side of the issue at hand. For example, the authors’ statement that “my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail,” this is not an actual statement but is sarcasm in the paper creates a rhetorical device. This statement is considered an exaggeration because he is overstating or embellishes what he really means to say. Rhetorical devices if used in an accurate way are designed to convince a reader to agree with one side of an issue rather than the other. Each type of device gives a different effect and shows opinions or someone’s thoughts in different ways. So the author used these devices to show his point of view and to persuade his readers to agree with him. It is good to make your reader agree with you but also to show the other side of the issue as well. The author of this article used the rhetorical devices to persuade the reader to his side but also pointed...
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...Mr. Beach, what if this year rather than the hum-dum senior piece, we had a contemporary, creative, captivating senior submission? Can you imagine the increased yearbook sales! I think I have found him. Here’s my analytical assessment of, in my opinion, the best candidate for the senior writer page opening. The qualifications of Jim Krist are the images he gives us by explaining his experiences of high school is through tone and attitude, rhetorical devices and diction, and literary devices which allows the reader to understand the message he is trying to give in this passage. Tone and Attitude The main tones are reminiscing and wisdom in this passage. The two different tones allow the reader to know that Krist created many memories and that...
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...An important letter-one that convicts, encourages, reprimands, persuades-is not an important letter because of words written, or the above average vocabulary, but rather what makes it important is the heart behind the words, and the tone of the voice speaking the vocabulary; rhetorical devices. Boldly, rhetorical devices are what makes a letter an “important” letter. A message can possibly be crossed without them, but rhetorical devices are what give the message its meaning. One example of rhetorical devices furthering an argument past just words is the letter, “The Crisis”, written by the influential Thomas Paine, using aphorisms, juxtaposition, and rhetorical questions. Thomas Paine uses the aphorism twice in his letter to the colonists....
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...authors of both speeches use rhetorical devices to efficiently express their perspective. When people of separate minority groups speak out against their struggles in society, their motivation is often the same. Susan's purpose for her speech was to speak out against the act of injustice in which the government was practicing and that was taking away women's right to vote in America. It was paragraph five Anthony declared,...
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...For the timed writing on Richard Rodriguez’s Days of Obligation, I would give my essay a score of six. In my essay, I developed a sound thesis and answered all parts of the question. Specific examples and meaningful evidences from the passage were provided. However, I oversimplified Rodriguez’s views on Mexico and California. I argued that to Rodriguez, California and Mexico were completely different. My analysis also did not go too in depth (less sophisticated) with how Rodriguez’s use of contrasts between Mexico and California convey his conflicted feelings. For this timed writing on Rodriguez’s Days of Obligation and other timed writings in general, my strength is that I can correctly identify the author’s use of rhetorical devices, literary...
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...Lillian Avila Mrs. Monson English III CP 8 March 2024 Act of devices Persuasion has been going on forever, both positively and negatively. In the article “To my loving parents; your expectations are crushing me” author Peggy Chen uses many rhetorical and literary strategies and techniques to impact the reader and further her message. These include logos, pathos, and anaphora. By including these devices in her writing, she could impact readers in a way they might not have thought about before. One rhetorical device author Peggy Chen used in her article is the use of Logos. Throughout the article, there were many different ways in which logos were shown. A quote from the text that shows this device would be “At 13, I was juggling the responsibility...
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...would trade love for love, or simple: which love is stronger. The prominently cathartic poem, skillfully molded by Bette Midler, encloses a theater of emotions, each being viewed through use of figures of speech, rhetorical questions and repetition. The literary devices effortlessly submerged me in an aura of appreciation or the “you” in the poem, even though I did not know who they were, as the poet suspense fully unmasked the identity of his feeling towards this unknown individual. Bette Midler uses many literary devices in this poem, one being figures of speech. An example of this use of the literary technique would be line four where she said that: “You were content to let me shine.” It is known that the voice of the poem cannot literally shine, so it could be said that the poet’s use of this device is do demonstrate the unselfishness the “you,” of the poem. This sector of the poem reminds me of the unselfish acts, portrayed by my mom, and how she often made sacrifices to make sure I could “shine” and also had the best in life. Additionally, it could be said that the poet’s use of rhetorical question helped to reveal the character “you” to me. At the beginning of the third stanza the poet asked: “Did you ever know that you’re my hero?” This use of a rhetorical question indicates that the voice of the poem looks up to the “you” character and somewhat holds them on a pedestal, because usually someone who is seen as a hero is admired...
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