Rhetorical Appeals and Devices Notes

1. Ethos - an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the
persuader
Example - "As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best
results."

2. Pathos - an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional
response
Example - "Don’t be the last person on the block to have their lawn treated – you don’t want to be the
laughing stock of your community!"

3. Logos - an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason

Example - "More than one hundred peer-reviewed studies have been conducted over the past decade, and
none of them suggests that this is an effective treatment for hair loss."
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4. Anaphora: A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Example - “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.”
~ opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

5. Epistrophe: A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.
Example -
BRUTUS:
“Who is here so base that would be a bondman?
If any, speak; for him have I offended.
Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman?
If any, speak; for him have I offended.
Who is here so vile that will not love his country?
If any, speak; for him have I offended ….”
~Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

6. Antithesis – a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together for achieving a contrasting effect
Example - “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.”
~from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

7. Metaphor - a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not
literally applicable.
Example - “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of
color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check
which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’”
~ from Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech
8. Rhetorical Question - A rhetorical question is asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on some point discussed
when no real answer is expected. A rhetorical question may have an obvious answer but the questioner asks
rhetorical questions to lay emphasis to the point.
Example -
Shylock: “If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”
~ The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

9. Allusion - a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or
political significance.
Example - Milton’s “Paradise Lost” gives allusions a fair share. Look at the example from Book 6 below:

“All night the dread less Angel unpursu’d

Through Heav’ns wide Champain held his way, till Morn,
Wak’t by the circling Hours, with rosie hand
Unbarr’d the gates of Light. There is a Cave
Within the Mount of God, fast by his Throne”

10. Repetition - a literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer.
There are several types of repetitions commonly used in both prose and poetry. As a rhetorical device, it could be
a word, a phrase or a full sentence or a poetical line repeated to emphasize its significance in the entire text.
Repetition is not distinguished solely as a figure of speech but more as a rhetorical device.
Example:
“Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
~ from Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech

11. Parallelism - refers to using elements in sentences that are grammatically similar or identical in structure,
sound, meaning, or meter.
"With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to
stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."
~ from Dr. Martin Luther King's " I Have a Dream" Speech

Rhetorical Devices Review

Identify the rhetorical devices used in each of the following.

1. "But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this
ground"
- Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
 2. …"government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the
earth.”
- Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

3. ""That's one small step for a man , one giant leap for mankind" --Neil Armstrong

4. "We've seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying
of prayers."
-George W. Bush’s Address to the Nation on Terrorism

5. "The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans"

– John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address

6. "But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I

continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the
label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you."
– Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Rhetorical Devices – Practice 2

Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
____________________ 1. “Our expertise in roofing contracting is evidenced not only by our 100
years in the business and our staff of qualified technicians, but in the decades of satisfied customers who
have come to expect nothing but the best.”
 ____________________ 2. "Where would we be without this tradition? Ever since our forefathers
landed at Plymouth Rock, we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving without fail, making more than cherished
recipes. We’ve made memories."
____________________ 3. "Research compiled by analysts from NASA, as well as organizations
from five other nations with space programs, suggests that a moon colony is viable with international
support."

Rhetorical Devices

____________________ 4. "If you take his parking place, you can expect World War II all over again"
____________________ 5. "But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years
later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of
discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of
a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the
corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

____________________ 6. "A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our
friends and break the bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day . An hour of wolves and shattered
shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight!" - King
Aragorn (from the movie 'The Return of the King'),

____________________ 7. "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players" - William
Shakespeare
____________________ 8. "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I will
learn" - Benjamin Franklin

____________________ 9. "In the struggle for peace and justice, we cannot walk alone. In the struggle for
opportunity and equality, we cannot walk alone. In the struggle to heal this nation and repair this
world, we cannot walk alone" - Barack Obama

____________________ 10."Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works when he had offered Isaac, his
son, upon the altar?"-- James 2:20-21 (KJV)