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1、Rhetorical Devices,MajorSimileMetaphor Personification SynecdocheMetonymy,MinorAnalogyRhetorical QuestionsAlliteration AntithesisClimaxEuphemismHyperboleIronyOxymoron,Whats a Simile?,Similes compare two dissimilar objects,concepts,etc.,in order to suggest an unexpected likeness between the two.Simil
2、es can often be distinguished by the presence of one of two code words,“like”and“as”.,For Example,Two Dissimilar SubjectsBlanketSnow,Simile Time!,If we wish to make a comparison between the way a blanket covers a bed and the way the snow covers the ground,we should use a simile.How can we use a simi
3、le to compare the two?,The Finished Product!,The snow is like a thick blanket on the ground.Notice the key presence of“like”.,More Examples,When you compare a noun to a noun,thesimile is usually introduced by like:After such long exposure to the direct sun,the leaves of the houseplant looked like pi
4、eces of overcooked bacon.The soul in the body is like a bird in a cage.When a verb or phrase is compared to a verbor phrase,as is used:They remained constantly attentive to their goal,as a sunflower always turns and stays focused on the sun.,Metaphors,Metaphor compares two different things by speaki
5、ng of one in terms of the other.Metaphor asserts that one thing is another thing,not just that one is like another.Very frequently a metaphor is invoked by the to be verb.,For Example,“The snow is a blanket on the earth.”Is the snow actually a blanket?No!However,the image the equation creates is a v
6、ividly descriptive one and vivid images are excellent!,Direction,An easy way to remember the difference between similes and metaphors is to determine whether the writer is trying to be direct.“The snow is a blanket”is direct;the comparison in“the snow is like a blanket”is by definition more abstract
7、 than the equation.,Metaphors:More Examples,Your eye is the lamp of your body;when your eye is sound,your whole body is full of light;but when it is not sound,your body is full of darkness.-Luke The mind is but a barren soil;a soil which is soon exhausted and will produce no crop,or only one,unless
8、it be continually fertilized and enriched with foreign matter.-Joshua Reynolds,Personification,Personification involves giving the qualities of animals or persons to inanimate objects to animate the nonliving.Once again,figurative language is used to bring images,concepts,or objects to life!,“Englan
9、d expects every man to do his duty.We bought this house instead of the one on Maple because this one is more friendly.,Synecdoche(提喻）,Synecdoche:the part stands for the whole,the whole for a part,the genus for the species,the species for the genus,the material for the thing made,etc.,Synecdoche:Exam
10、ples,It is hard to earn a dollar these days.His parents bought him a new set of wheels.Australia beat Canada at Cricket.She was dressed in silks and satins.Spring should vanish with the rose!What a despicable creature he is!,Metonymy,The thing chosen for the metaphorical image is closely associated
11、with(but not an actual part of)the subject with which it is to be compared.The Hall applauded.He likes to play with the rosy cheeks.She means to marry money.The pen is mightier than the sword.Grey hair should be respected.Will you play me some Chopins?He is the admiration of the whole school.,What i
12、s an Analogy?,Analogies allow writers to help readers understand difficult issues or concepts by comparing them to familiar ones.As a result,similarity between the difficult concept and its familiar counterpart is crucial;if there is no similarity,the comparison is useless for rhetorical purposes.,A
13、nalogy,Analogies can be separated into two parts.Target the unknown idea or object;were trying to explain it,or at least make it clearSource the familiar idea or object;we use sources to shed light on the more complicated target,Analogy:Examples,You may abuse a tragedy,though you cannot write one.Yo
14、u may scold a carpenter who has made you a bad table,though you cannot make a table.It is not your trade to make tables.-Samuel Johnson Some analogies simply offer an explanation for clarification rather than a substitute argument:Knowledge always desires increase:it is like fire,which must first be
15、 kindled by some external agent,but which will afterwards propagate itself.-Samuel Johnson,Rhetorical Questions,The question is not answered by the writer,because its answer is obvious or obviously desired,and usually just a yes or no.It is used for effect,emphasis,or provocation,or for drawing a co
16、nclusionary statement from the facts at hand.,Rhetorical Questions,How many times do I have to tell you to do your homework?But how can we expect to enjoy the scenery when the scenery consists entirely of garish billboards?.For if we lose the ability to perceive our faults,what is the good of living
17、 on?-Marcus Aurelius Is justice then to be considered merely a word?Or is it whatever results from the bartering between attorneys?,Alliteration,Repetition of the initial consonant sounds beginning several words in sequence.we shall not falter,we shall not fail.(President G.W.Bush Address to Congres
18、s following 9-11-01 Terrorist Attacks.)Let us go forth to lead the land we love.“(President J.F.Kennedy,Inaugural 1961)Veni,vidi,vici.“(Julius Caesar-“I came,I saw,I conquered”),Antithesis,Antithesis establishes a clear,contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposi
19、ng them,often in parallel structure.To err is human;to forgive,divine.-Pope 人孰无过？心存宽恕，就是圣洁。That short and easy trip made a lasting and profound change in Harolds outlook.Thats one small step for a man,one giant leap for mankind.-Neil Armstrong,Climax(层进法),Consists of arranging words,clauses,or sente
20、nces in the order of increasing importance,weight,or emphasis.Parallelism usually forms a part of the arrangement,because it offers a sense of continuity,order,and movement up the ladder of importance.,Climax:Examples,To have faults is not good,but faults are human.Worse is to have them and not see
21、them.Yet beyond that is to have faults,to see them,and to do nothing about them.But even that seems mild compared to him who knows his faults,and who parades them about and encourages them as though they were virtues.,Euphemism,Euphemism is substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expr
22、ession for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant.uglyhomely debtcash advance second-hand furniture-antique costume jewelry-fashion jewelry illegitimate child-love child free love-trial marriage head waiter-captain(总管）retreat-strategic withdrawal(战略转移）,Hyperbole,Hyperbole is intentio
23、nal overstatement for the sake of emphasis.We often use hyperbole in everyday speech by making statements similar to the following:If you call me that name again,Im going to explode!“I nearly died laughing.”His terrible stories made our blood freeze.He was nearly killed-he would not have such anothe
24、r walk for the three kingdoms.,(Verbal)Irony,Irony is the use of words or statements carrying the opposite of their literal or intended meaning,such as in sarcasm,which is an everyday form of Irony.“Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;And Brutus is an honorable man.”(Shakespeares Mark Antony in Julius
25、Caesar)“Oh,sure,wed love to work overtime,Martha.,Oxymoron,Apparent paradox achieved by the juxtaposition of words which seem to contradict one another.“I must be cruel only to be kind.”Hurts so good“Senator Rosebud calls this a useless plan;if so,it is the most helpful useless plan we have ever ena
26、cted.The cost-saving program became an expensive economy.”,EXERCISE,The orders came directly from the White House.Wisdom cries aloud in the streets;in the markets she raises her voice.The concerto was applauded at the house of Baron von Schnooty,it was praised highly at court,it was voted best conce
27、rto of the year by the Academy,it was considered by Mozart the highlight of his career,and it has become known today as the best concerto in the world.,metonymy,personification,climax,There are a thousand reasons why more research is needed on solar energy.If I had some wheels,Id put on my best threads and ask for Janes hand in marriage.The bookful blockhead,ignorantly read,/With loads of learned lumber in his head.,EXERCISE,hyperbole,synecdoche,oxymoron,
