Anaphora
Anaphora is a rhetorical device that uses the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences, phrases, or clauses for added emphasis. One of the most well-known examples of anaphora is in a letter to the Roman senate by Julius Caesar: “We came, we saw, we conquered” (Anaphora).
Aristotle’s Three Branches of Rhetoric
Aristotle divides rhetoric into three branches, based on purpose/occasion. These branches are connected with the skill of Oratory, and constitute the largest divisions/genres of rhetoric. The branches are named deliberative, epideictic, and judicial (Nordquist)
Deliberative – “Deliberative rhetoric is speech or writing that attempts to persuade an audience to take (or not take) some action.” (Nordquist)
Epideictic – “Epideictic rhetoric is speech or writing that praises (encomium) or blames (invective).” (Nordquist)
Judicial – “Judicial rhetoric is speech or writing that considers the justice or injustice of a certain charge or accusation.” (Nordquist)
Chiasmus
Originating from the Greek for “crossed,” Chiasmus is a literary device in which a clause is written, and then a similar clause is written afterward in reverse. An example of Chiasmus is “Live simply so that others might simply live” -Gandhi (Chiasmus).
Metaphor and Simile
A metaphor comparison that directly refers to one thing as something else. An example of a metaphor would be: “The man was a wild animal, rampaging through the room.”
A simile is a comparison between two things, usually using “like” or “as” to compare them. An example is: “His word is as good as gold.”
Definitions: Metaphor vs. Simile: Definitions, Differences and Examples | Indeed.com Singapore
Rhetoric
Aristotle (384-322 BCE): Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who paved the way for scientific and philosophical thinking. Aristotle was a student of Plato, another great philosopher, who founded The Academy. While Plato considered rhetoric to be immoral and manipulative, Aristotle viewed it as a science and a form of “…public speaking designed to persuade…” (Aristotle, Aristotle excerpt from Rhetoric, pp 132).
Cicero (106-43 BC): Cicero was a Roman philosopher who believed that rhetoric was a way of speaking and writing in an effective and persuasive way. He defined rhetoric as “[A] type of dramatic performance in which judgment is made possible by the character roles assumed by speaker and audience.” (Cicero)
My Definition: Rhetoric is effectively using speech and language to persuade an audience. I really like both Aristotle’s and Cicero’s definitions of rhetoric, which is why I incorporated them into my definition of rhetoric.
Synecdoche
Synecdoche comes from the Greek word “synekdoche” which means “simultaneous meaning.” It is a figure of speech that uses a part of something to signify the whole, or vice versa. A common example of this is the “Stars and Stripes” which are used to signify the American Flag (Synecdoche).
The Rhetorical Appeals
Ethos is commonly referred to as the credibility of an author. It used to refer more to the elements of a speech that reflected the author’s character. An example of ethos would be a politician explaining to an audience why they have the experience and skills to hold office.
Pathos is most commonly referred to as an appeal to emotions. It is related to how well an author or speaker can appeal to their audience’s emotions. An example of pathos is when President Obama described civilians dying as a result of an attack in order to provoke the audience’s emotions to support US intervention in Syria (Pathos – Definition and Examples | LitCharts).
Logos is widely known as the logic and reasoning of an author’s content. It also deals with how the content is organized within the work to make more sense. A strong example of logos would be a lawyer strategically organizing their argument to win over the jury using logic, reasoning, and structure.
Kairos is a term that refers to elements of a speech that utilize a specific time, setting, and place in which a speech occurs to better get a point across. A great example of the use of Kairos would be in Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. King delivered this speech in the height of the Civil Rights Movement when tensions were high within the country, allowing for his speech to have added impact on the audience at the time. (Kairos – Examples and Definition of Kairos as a Literary Device (literarydevices.net)).
Definitions: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/rhetorical_situation/aristotles_rhetorical_situation.html