Figures of Speech

RHETORIC SUMMARY

Rhetoric is the art or discipline that deals with the use of

discourse, either spoken or written(or visual), to inform,

persuade and motivate an audience.

Claiming that “rhetoric is a useful skill”, which ”turns a week

man into a strong one,”Aristotle defines rhetoric as ”the

power to observe the persuasiveness of which any particular

matter admits”

(the skill to observe/detect the persuasive aspects in any

subject matter and to use them for argument).

Figures of Speech:• Figures of Speech: Figures of speech are any artful deviations from ordinary mode

of speaking, writing, or visualization . As a means of departure from the ordinary

ways of expressing an idea, they endow communication with strong dynamic

tension. In the class we will examine a specific class of rhetorical figures called

troupes. For this purpose, we will use the following categorization:

• IRONY

• ANTITHESIS

• METAPHOR/SMILE

• PERSONIFICATION

• METONYMY

• SYNECDOCHE

• PERIPHRASIS

• PUNS

• AMPLICATION

• HYPERBOLE

• LITOTES

IRONY:

Use of a word in such a way as to

convey a meaning opposite to the

literal meaning.

e.g. Robbing the savings of a poor

man is certainly a noble act.

Irony

irony

Irony2

irony

ANTITHESIS:

Placing contrasting terms of ideas

together to emphasize their

differences and give the effect of

balance.

e.g. A small step for a man, one

giant leap for mankind.

Antithesis

antithesis

Antithesis2

antithesis

Antithesis3

antithesis

Antithesis4

antithesis

Antithesis5

antithesis

METAPHOR: An implied comparison

between two things of unlike nature

that have yet something in

common.

metaphor

metaphor

metaphor2

metaphor

metaphor3

metaphor

metaphor4

metaphor

metaphor5

metaphor(metonymy, periphrase)

metaphor6

metaphor(synecdoche, periphrase)

metaphor7

metaphor(metonymy)

PERSONIFICATION: Comparison

whereby human qualities are assigned

to inanimate objects or to abstractions.

e.g. The houses in the valley seemed to

be a sleep.

personification

personification

personification2

personification(amplification)

personification3

personification(hyperbole)

personification4

personification

personification5

personification

METONYMY: Substitution of some

attributive or suggestive word for what is

actually meant. The thing what is really

meant is represented by something

closely associated with it.

e.g. crown for royalty, pen for authors,

gold for money, bottle for alcohol, ear for

music.

metonymy

metonymy

metonymy2

metonymy(synecdoche)

metonymy3

metonymy(metaphor, periphrase)

metonymy4

metonymy

metonymy5

metonymy(metaphor)

metonymy6

metonymy(synecdoche)

synecdoche

SYNECDOCHE: Part stands for hole

and thus something else is

understood within the thing

mentioned. Bread for food, hand for

helpers, steel for sword.

synecdoche

synecdoche(metaphor, periphrase)

synecdoche2

synecdoche(amplification, hyperbole)

synecdoche3

synecdoche

synecdoche4

synecdoche

synecdoche5

synecdoche(metonymy)

synecdoche6

synecdoche(amplification, periphrases)

PERIPHRASES: The indirect reference by

means of well-known attributes or

characteristics. Substitution of a

descriptive word or phrase for a proper

name.

e.g. He is Pollyanna. /She has gone to

be better world.

periphrases

periphrase(metaphor, metonymy)

periphrases2

periphrase(amplification, synecdoche)

PUN: Play upon words, two or more

meaning appear in one word or in two

words of identical or similar sound.

e.g. There is a certain type of a woman

who‘d rather press grapes than clothes.

pun

pun

pun2

pun(amplification)

AMPLIFICATION: The expansion of a

topic through the assemblage of

relevant particulars.

e.g. He went to see the world : the east,

the west, the north, and the south.

amplification

amplification

amplification2

amplification

amplification3

amplification

amplification4

amplification(synechdoche, periphrases)

amplification5

amplification(personification)

amplification6

amplification(hyperbole)

HYPERBOLE: The usage of exaggerated

terms for the purpose of emphasis or

heightened effect, emphasized by

saying more than what is really meant,

or more than is literally true.

e.g. She swept a tone of mud through

the hallway.

hyperbole

hyperbole

hyperbole2

hyperbole

hyperbole3

hyperbole(personification)

hyperbole4

hyperbole

hyperbole5

hyperbole

hyperbole6

hyperbole

hyperbole7

hyperbole

LITOTES: Under statement. It can be

considered as the opposite of

hyperbole.

e.g. It is a small world after all.

litotes

litotes

litotes2

litotes