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Rhetorical Devices

5 min readnovember 17, 2021

Rhetorical Devices

A Life’s Practice

Rhetorical devices may seem intimidating at first, but don’t worry—you’ve been using them your entire life! Rhetorical devices are ingrained into everyday speech. Have you ever been so hungry that you said, “I could eat a horse,” even though that phrase was an obvious exaggeration? Have you ever compared someone to an object to explain how fast, smart, or awesome they are? Even repeating questions like these are examples of rhetorical devices! The bottom line is, rhetorical devices are ways that people express a point, and they come in many forms. 

Why is this important? Rhetorical devices can strengthen your arguments and allow you to communicate your ideas better! Even without a debate to win, rhetorical devices can lead to better conversations with the people around you. Knowing what rhetorical devices to use can improve you as a writer, speaker, and English student! 

Identifying Rhetorical Devices

As stated earlier, rhetorical devices are abundant in all of our lives. Identifying them is as easy as putting a name to a face (and yes, this sentence is an example of a rhetorical device in action)! Here are some of the most common types of rhetorical devices that you may see in the world around you:

  • Allusion

  • Antithesis

  • Hyperbole

  • Oxymoron

  • Paradox 

  • Simile/Metaphor 

Let’s first define these rhetorical devices and then give conversational and literary examples of them. 

Allusion

An allusion is a rhetorical device where someone briefly references a famous person, event, piece of pop culture, or another object or circumstance so the audience can connect the two.

Conversational example: Peanuts are my kryptonite!

Explanation: “Kryptonite” is a reference to Superman and specifically his one weakness—kryptonite! By referencing this, you can really get the point across that you hate or can’t have peanuts 🥜

Literary example: From To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee (1960): 

"Are we poor, Atticus?"

Atticus nodded. "We are indeed."

Jem's nose wrinkled. "Are we as poor as the Cunninghams?"

"Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest."

An explanation: The "crash" in this text references the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression of the 1930s! Referencing the "crash" helps contextualize the Cunninghams' wealth status to Jem.

A note on allusions: This reference to the “crash” might not have made you think about the Great Depression. And that’s okay! A big part of allusions is that they are very time-relevant—kryptonite makes sense to us now, and references to the 1930s made a lot of sense for Harper Lee to write back in 1960. 

Antithesis

Antithesis is a rhetorical device when someone uses two contrasting statements side-by-side to highlight their differences. 

Conversational Example: Right person, wrong time. 

An explanation: Right and wrong are opposites! Using such contrasting words can evoke powerful emotions. This statement, which commonly refers to romantic relationships, evokes feelings of sadness.

Literary Example: From Neil Armstrong (1969) after stepping on the moon: “That’s one step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” 👩‍🚀

An explanation: “One step” and “giant leap” are contrasting statements that make the act of walking on the moon grandiose and important. He wants the world to know that the first moonwalk was a momentous event, so using an antithesis here is excellent for achieving that point!

Oxymoron

Oxymoron is a rhetorical device when you use contrasting terms next to each other in a phrase for emphasis.

Conversational Example: I thought the ending of the story was bittersweet

Explanation: Bitterness and sweetness are contradictory feelings, and using them together implies a conflict of emotions—feeling sad and happy. Using an oxymoron like this gets the point across that you are feeling a variety of emotions. 

Literary Example: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951): “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life.” 

Explanation: Terrific and liar have very different associations, the former being very positive and the latter being very negative. By using these two words together, the narrator gets the point across that he is good at doing a bad thing. 

The difference between oxymoron and antithesis: Oxymoron uses contradictory terms next to each other, while antithesis has two contrasting ideas in the same sentence but not in the same phrase. For example, “bittersweet” is an oxymoron, but the phrase “Our hate was bitter, our love was sweet” is an example of antithesis. 

Hyperboles

Hyperboles are a way to show just how much emotion you’re feeling using an easily understandable exaggeration. 

Conversational Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a whale!

Explanation: Saying that you’re hungry doesn’t explain how hungry you actually are. If you want to get the point across that you are really really hungry, saying that you could eat a whale shows that you could eat A LOT.

Literary Example: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1597): “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars.” Explanation: In this quote, Romeo speaks about Juliet, and they are madly in love (obviously). Is there such a thing as a better way to profess your love than to exaggerate it with hyperbole?  

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-mJtuHDUUxEIh.jpg?alt=media&token=2a07aa02-b016-42dc-b517-90c49eb45641

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia 

Simile/Metaphor

Simile/Metaphor: Similes and metaphors are rhetorical devices where two things that don't seem similar at first glance are compared to highlight a shared feature. Although they are very similar, there is a slight difference between the two devices:

Simile 

Metaphor

  • Uses “like” or “as” 

    • She was as fast as lightning!

    • Their eyes sparkled like diamonds. 

    • He ate like a pig that night for dinner, gulping the plate down in seconds.

  • Does not use “like” or “as”

    • She’s a bolt of lightning.

    • They glared, eyes cold hard steel. 

    • He was a pig that dinner, gulping the plate down in seconds.

Expanding Your Knowledge

As you continue to identify these rhetorical devices, you will get better at utilizing them in your own work! You can apply these devices to the rhetorical situation or explain how an author uses ethos, pathos, and logos! 

Identifying how authors use rhetorical devices can also help you in AP English Language or other English classes where you focus on writing rhetorical analysis

Happy reading and happy writing! 📚

🤝Connect with other students studying English with Hours

Rhetorical Devices

5 min readnovember 17, 2021

Rhetorical Devices

A Life’s Practice

Rhetorical devices may seem intimidating at first, but don’t worry—you’ve been using them your entire life! Rhetorical devices are ingrained into everyday speech. Have you ever been so hungry that you said, “I could eat a horse,” even though that phrase was an obvious exaggeration? Have you ever compared someone to an object to explain how fast, smart, or awesome they are? Even repeating questions like these are examples of rhetorical devices! The bottom line is, rhetorical devices are ways that people express a point, and they come in many forms. 

Why is this important? Rhetorical devices can strengthen your arguments and allow you to communicate your ideas better! Even without a debate to win, rhetorical devices can lead to better conversations with the people around you. Knowing what rhetorical devices to use can improve you as a writer, speaker, and English student! 

Identifying Rhetorical Devices

As stated earlier, rhetorical devices are abundant in all of our lives. Identifying them is as easy as putting a name to a face (and yes, this sentence is an example of a rhetorical device in action)! Here are some of the most common types of rhetorical devices that you may see in the world around you:

  • Allusion

  • Antithesis

  • Hyperbole

  • Oxymoron

  • Paradox 

  • Simile/Metaphor 

Let’s first define these rhetorical devices and then give conversational and literary examples of them. 

Allusion

An allusion is a rhetorical device where someone briefly references a famous person, event, piece of pop culture, or another object or circumstance so the audience can connect the two.

Conversational example: Peanuts are my kryptonite!

Explanation: “Kryptonite” is a reference to Superman and specifically his one weakness—kryptonite! By referencing this, you can really get the point across that you hate or can’t have peanuts 🥜

Literary example: From To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee (1960): 

"Are we poor, Atticus?"

Atticus nodded. "We are indeed."

Jem's nose wrinkled. "Are we as poor as the Cunninghams?"

"Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest."

An explanation: The "crash" in this text references the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression of the 1930s! Referencing the "crash" helps contextualize the Cunninghams' wealth status to Jem.

A note on allusions: This reference to the “crash” might not have made you think about the Great Depression. And that’s okay! A big part of allusions is that they are very time-relevant—kryptonite makes sense to us now, and references to the 1930s made a lot of sense for Harper Lee to write back in 1960. 

Antithesis

Antithesis is a rhetorical device when someone uses two contrasting statements side-by-side to highlight their differences. 

Conversational Example: Right person, wrong time. 

An explanation: Right and wrong are opposites! Using such contrasting words can evoke powerful emotions. This statement, which commonly refers to romantic relationships, evokes feelings of sadness.

Literary Example: From Neil Armstrong (1969) after stepping on the moon: “That’s one step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” 👩‍🚀

An explanation: “One step” and “giant leap” are contrasting statements that make the act of walking on the moon grandiose and important. He wants the world to know that the first moonwalk was a momentous event, so using an antithesis here is excellent for achieving that point!

Oxymoron

Oxymoron is a rhetorical device when you use contrasting terms next to each other in a phrase for emphasis.

Conversational Example: I thought the ending of the story was bittersweet

Explanation: Bitterness and sweetness are contradictory feelings, and using them together implies a conflict of emotions—feeling sad and happy. Using an oxymoron like this gets the point across that you are feeling a variety of emotions. 

Literary Example: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951): “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life.” 

Explanation: Terrific and liar have very different associations, the former being very positive and the latter being very negative. By using these two words together, the narrator gets the point across that he is good at doing a bad thing. 

The difference between oxymoron and antithesis: Oxymoron uses contradictory terms next to each other, while antithesis has two contrasting ideas in the same sentence but not in the same phrase. For example, “bittersweet” is an oxymoron, but the phrase “Our hate was bitter, our love was sweet” is an example of antithesis. 

Hyperboles

Hyperboles are a way to show just how much emotion you’re feeling using an easily understandable exaggeration. 

Conversational Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a whale!

Explanation: Saying that you’re hungry doesn’t explain how hungry you actually are. If you want to get the point across that you are really really hungry, saying that you could eat a whale shows that you could eat A LOT.

Literary Example: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1597): “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars.” Explanation: In this quote, Romeo speaks about Juliet, and they are madly in love (obviously). Is there such a thing as a better way to profess your love than to exaggerate it with hyperbole?  

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-mJtuHDUUxEIh.jpg?alt=media&token=2a07aa02-b016-42dc-b517-90c49eb45641

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia 

Simile/Metaphor

Simile/Metaphor: Similes and metaphors are rhetorical devices where two things that don't seem similar at first glance are compared to highlight a shared feature. Although they are very similar, there is a slight difference between the two devices:

Simile 

Metaphor

  • Uses “like” or “as” 

    • She was as fast as lightning!

    • Their eyes sparkled like diamonds. 

    • He ate like a pig that night for dinner, gulping the plate down in seconds.

  • Does not use “like” or “as”

    • She’s a bolt of lightning.

    • They glared, eyes cold hard steel. 

    • He was a pig that dinner, gulping the plate down in seconds.

Expanding Your Knowledge

As you continue to identify these rhetorical devices, you will get better at utilizing them in your own work! You can apply these devices to the rhetorical situation or explain how an author uses ethos, pathos, and logos! 

Identifying how authors use rhetorical devices can also help you in AP English Language or other English classes where you focus on writing rhetorical analysis

Happy reading and happy writing! 📚

🤝Connect with other students studying English with Hours



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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.