One of the major ideas AP students must understand is that rhetorical and literary tools are just that: tools. Their job is to persuade, to convince, to compel their audience to understand a position.
Not Enough to Name It The problem is that many students think it's enough to simply identify a literary or rhetorical tool, e.g., "In line 4, the author uses a metaphor," or "In lines 45-47, the author uses pathos." That may be true, but that's the functional equivalent of saying "A carpenter uses nails." Why? Why nails and not glue? Why a nail there and not somewhere else? Why a 3" nail versus a 5" nail? Exploring the rhetorical toolbox will be a first step for students to understand what these rhetorical devices, literary tools, argumentation tactic, etc. actually DO on a general level; that is, what these tools are FOR. Note: These devices are not in a particular order. |
Tool |
Example |
What It's For |
Ethos
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Example
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." |
Disarming a hostile audience
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Some Rhetorically-Accurate Verbs for an Ethos Argument
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NOTE: You will never, never, never say "The author uses ethos."
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Pathos
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"We must do this for the children!"
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Twisting the heartstrings
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Some Rhetorically-Accurate Verbs for a Pathos Argument
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NOTE: You will never, never, never say "The author uses pathos."
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Logos
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Example
Marc Antony points out that Caesar publicly refused the kingship three times on a specific day. |
Appealing to the intellect with common sense and verifiable proof.
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Some Rhetorically-Accurate Verbs for a Logos Argument
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Concession
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"I agree with my opponent when she says that number 2 pencils are so outdated, but..."
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Repetition
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"...Brutus is an honorable man. So are they all, all honorable men...But Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man..."
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Humor
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All political satire, including examples such as Borat, Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert, etc.
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Rhetorical Question
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Your mother: "How many times have I asked you to clean your room?"
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Allusion
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"I want your Psycho, your Vertigo stare..."
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Diction and Diction Shifts
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"His motives were not solely motivated by pecuniary interests. In other words, he wasn't just using them for money."
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