updated 11 March 2008 
REVIEW
RHETORICAL TERMS WITH EXAMPLES: Spring 2008

With examples provided by students enrolled in ENGL 5730 in Spring 2008. Sources of quotations (if provided) are in parentheses; the names of the students who submitted the quotations (if provided) are in brackets.
  
Terms beginning H-Z are on this page.  Terms A-G are here.

UPDATE (March 10): Nordquist's edits and comments added in red.

How to use this page: After studying the example(s) accompanying each rhetorical term below, try to compose a clear and accurate definition of the term.  Better yet, write down your definition.   Then click on the term to compare your definition with the one in our online glossary. Unlinked terms are not in our glossary.

If you spot any errors in the transcription of quotations that you sent me, please notify by email. 

Examples submitted by:
Alex Atkinson
Leslie Beebe
Katharina Binder
Valerie Bumgardner
Jie Chen
Britney Compton
Eva Glasgow
A. DeAnne McDowell
Maguli
Amanda Murphy
Kelly Ondriezek
Bethany Robbins
Jessica Roberts
Courtney Sanders
Joseph Stevens


Evaluations submitted by:
Alex Atkinson
Leslie Beebe
Valerie Bumgardner
Jie Chen
Britney Compton
Eva Glasgow
Jayce Goosby
A. DeAnne McDowell
Amanda Murphy
Bethany Robbins
Jessica Roberts
Joseph Stevens

__________________________

TERMS H-Z

homoioteleuton

-- The Arrow and the Song

I shot an arrow into the air.
It fell to earth, I know not where;
For so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air
It fell to earth, I know not where;
For, who has sight so keen and strong
That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[Katharina Binder]
STANDOUT
Katharina Binder seems to hit the nail on the head with her choice of "The
Arrow and the Song." It pretty much rhymnes, which fits the definition of
homoioteleuton. (I hope the detection of slight sarcasm is felt...) [Britney Compton]

I do admit that the pure simplicity of this example appeals to me. This excerpt is pure and uncluttered.  [Joseph C. Stevens]

--Longfellow's poem illustrates rhyme (same sounds=correspondence of vowel and consonant sounds), not homoioteleuton, also known as "half rhyme" (similar sounds=repetition in accented syllables of the final consonant sound but without the correspondence of the vowel sound). That said, this is probably the least important term on our list, so don't fret about it.-- n

Hyperbole
-- Jack Rose Titanic- “I am king of the world!”
This is a prime and, probably, very popular, example of hyperbole.  Jack is so overcome with excitement he makes the sweeping and very exaggerated statement that he is king. [Valerie Bumgardner]

OK--n

 --“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young and healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious,

nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.”

(Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal”) [Eva Glasgow]

STANDOUT & PUZZLER

I just really appreciate the Jonathan Swift reference.  But I am not sure if this is Hyperbole…he proposes eating children, which is an extravagant statement, but his language is not exaggerated or heightened.  In fact I think he uses a matter of fact tone and that is his point: To satirize the unbelievable.    [Valerie Bumgardner]

Valerie's observation is right on target. The straightforward testimony of the American acquaintance serves the larger ironic purpose of Swift's essay. -- n

(This is one of my favorite tales, so it will stand out in my mind as a result of that. However, while it does seem to illustrate a hyperbole I feel that there are other terms that could describe it better. Such as "conformation" or "deduction" or even "dysphemism".)  [Leslie Beebe]

--"California is a fine place to live, if you happen to be an orange." - Fred Allen. [Maguli]
PUZZLER
I don’t see this one as being hyperbole. [A. DeAnne McDowell]
It's not. -- n

--. I would die for you
I would die for you
I've been dying just to feel you by my side, to know that you're mine

I would cry for you
I would cry for you
I will wash away your pain with all my tears, I'm drowning on fear

I will pray for you
I will pray for you,
I will sell my soul for something pure and true, someone like you

See your face every place that I walk in
Hear your voice every time that I'm talkin'
You will believe in me, and I will never be ignored

I will burn for you
Feel pain for you
I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart, and tear it apart

I will lie for you
Beg and steal for you
I will crawl on hands and knees until you see, you're just like me

Violate all the love that I'm missin'
Throw away all the pain that I'm livin'
You will believe in me, and I can never be ignored

I would die for you
I would kill for you
I will steal for you
I'd do time for you
I will wait for you
I'd make room for you
I'd sink ships for you,
Take the cross for you
Make me a part of you
Because I believe in you
I believe in you
I would die for you

Song "I would die for you" by Garbage

[Katharina Binder]

Ok--n. See also Hyperbole in Dave Barry's "Revenge of the Pork Person" -- n

Hypophora
--Jack Burton: When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, looks you crooked in the eye and asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail." [Alex Atkinson]
STANDOUT
You chose Jack Burton for a number of your examples…I think you chose a good example of Burton asking and answering his own questions.         [Valerie Bumgardner]
Ok--n

--“Who's the black private dick
That's a sex machine to
all the chicks?
SHAFT!
Ya damn right!

Who is the man that
would risk his neck
For his brother man?
SHAFT!
Can you dig it?” –Isaac Hayes [Kelly Ondriezek]
STANDOUT
This one is perfect for me, and a bad song too!!! [A. DeAnne McDowell]
Ditto--n

HYPOTAXIS

-- "I will go when I am ready," the relationship between "I am ready" and "I will go" is one of hypotaxis. [Joseph C. Stevens]
Right--n
STANDOUT & PUZZLER
This one helps me to understand the definition. [A. DeAnne McDowell]
I just have trouble understanding this term and this example hasn’t cleared it up for me. [Bethany Robbins]
Review grammatical subordination and you should gain a better understanding of rhetorical hypotaxis. -- n

 
Induction
-- "I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth and I am a citizen of the world." - Eugene Debs. [Maguli]
PUZZLER
I still feel confused about induction and deduction. As for this sentence, I may apply deduction to it, because “I have no country to fight for” is a conclusion by reasoning the stated premise, “my country is the earth and I am a citizen of the world.” [Jie Chen]

See p. 61 in Classical Rhetoric. We'll return to logos (and both deduction and induction) in the last part of the semester.--n

Invective
-- John Kennedy Toole- A Confederacy of Dunces “How dare you scream obscenities at me.  Someone grab that boy,” Ignatius said wildly as George disappeared into the crowds of pedestrians farther down the street.  “Someone with some decency grab that juvenile delinquent.  That filthy little minor.  Where is his respect?  That little guttersnipe must be lashed until he collapses!”

(This is an example of invective because Ignatius is yelling and belittling a boy named George.  He is both yelling for the sake of George and for the people standing around.  He is abusing George for talking back and he casts blame in a very public manner.) [Valerie Bumgardner]
PUZZLER
I don’t think this example is strong enough.  I feel that Ignatius is not abusive enough with his language and I think he is not directing it enough.  Maybe if Ignatius yelled directly at George and had more denunciatory language then it would be more effective as a invective.  [Valerie Bumgardner]
Your critique of your own example is right on target, Valerie. This sounds more like a warm-up to a full-blown invective. See Mencken's essay on "The Libido for the Ugly." --n

-- By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing, kill yourself. Thank you, thank you. Just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day they'll take root. I don't know. You try. You do what you can. Kill yourselves. Seriously though, if you are, do. No really, there's no rationalization for what you do, and you are Satan's little helpers, OK? Kill yourselves, seriously. You're the ruiner of all things good. Seriously, no, this is not a joke. "There's gonna be a joke coming..." There's no fucking joke coming, you are Satan's spawn, filling the world with bile and garbage, you are fucked and you are fucking us, kill yourselves, it's the only way to save your fucking soul. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now. Now, back to the show. (Bill Hicks, comedian) [Eva Glasgow]
STANDOUT
This discourse casts blame on “you”---“Satan’s helper”, ‘ruiner”, “Satan’s spawn”…, so you need to “kill yourself.” It is a very clear example of invective. [Jie Chen]
I agree--N

--“Some idiot forgot to buy pop-tarts.” ---my nephew (this was said sarcastically one morning when he discovered the pop-tart shortage at his house) [Kelly Ondriezek]
Your nephew is going to have to do better than this: tell him to crank up the outrage. -- n

-- The middle of the longest paragraph of Brutus’ speech.

“—Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” [Joseph C. Stevens]         
not really--n

--‘All you are to me is dead skin,
flaking off my hand onto the pavement.
All you are to me is dead skin,
breakin' up my band won't bring you payment.”
From: It’s a Metaphor, Fool. Say Anything [Britney Compton]
PUZZLER
 I just don’t see this one as being abusive or denunciatory enough to be invective. [A. DeAnne McDowell]
ditto-n

Invention

"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout."    Jonathan Swift - A Modest Proposal [Deanne McDowell]

Irony

--“Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

 Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.”

-John Donne “Holy Sonnets 14” 

This is an example of irony because Donne sounds like he is speaking to a lover and using erotic language; however, the sonnet is actually a religious one which addresses God. [Amanda Murphy]
PUZZLER
(without the explanation I never would have seen this statement as ironic. Even with the explanation I only find it misleading, not really ironic.) [Leslie Beebe]

Like all of Donne's Holy Sonnets, metaphorical but not ironic. -- n

Isocolon

--“He's a prophet and a pusher, partly truth, partly fiction. A walking contradiction.”

  ----- (Movie, Taxi Driver)

Analysis: First, this line is an example of isocolon, because, obviously we can see from “partly truth, partly fiction.” Second, I am wondering if it is a paradox example, because it displays the contradictory meaning such as “a prophet and a pusher, partly truth, partly fiction.” Third, there is an independent phrase “a walking contradiction” in these lines, so it is an example of parataxis. [Jie Chen]
A short isocolon.-n

Judicial

--For the sake of not excluding letters of the alphabet, I think that Marc Antony’s speech, which we read in class, from Julius Caesar is a good example of this term. [Kelly Ondriezek]
Antony starts off by suggesting that his speech will be epideictic, goes on to pass judgment, and then stirs the crowd to political action. So it's all three broad types of oratory. -- n

Kairos
-- I do not have a specific speech or quote for this term, only a mental image…I imagine the scene of a lioness stalking her prey in the savanna. She waits for just the right moment before she pounces. [Kelly Ondriezek]
STANDOUT
I like this example, because Kelly’s imagination vividly tells us the meaning of kairos. [Jie Chen]
OK--and it works with the dual sense of kairos as both finding AND fashioning the right time AND place. --n

Litotes
--“You are not unpleasant company.” 
 (A phrase that denies its opposite as a way to making a statement. This phrase could then be translated to mean: “You are good company.” )[Leslie Beebe]
STANDOUT
Again to me this is a standout because the phrase is doing exactly what the definition states. The person speaking is telling some one they are good company by saying it a manner that sounds negative. [Jayce Goosby]

This one helps me to understand the definition too. [A. DeAnne McDowell]

*This understatement is a clear and simple example of litotes. [Eva Glasgow]

I agree--but to say "You are not unpleasant company" isn't quite the same as saying "You're good company." Just as saying to me, "You're not fat" doesn't mean "You're slim." And when I say that "Your writing is not without humor," I don't mean you're especially funny. All of these are examples of litotes. And note how litotes puts a spin on a statement so that it qualifies as well as understates. -- n

--“I don't have a girlfriend. But I do know a woman who'd be mad at me for saying that.”
-Mitch Hedberg [Amanda Murphy]
PUZZLER & STANDOUT
This example was a little confusing to me. I can kind of understand why it could be seen as litotes, but I’m not sure that it is. [Bethany Robbins]

Amanda Murphy's two liner made me laugh, then cry, because it is probably
what my ex-boyfriend was saying. And that is the point of these quotes,
to have something click to assist in remembering what the term means. I
will always think of this little understatement. [Britney Compton]
--I'd call it a lie. -- n

--“It's no exaggeration to say the undecideds could go one way or another.”

     ---- (George Bush Sr., 1988)

Analysis: litotes is used in this sentence, because, by using negation “no exaggeration”, George Bush Sr. affirms that “the undecideds could go one way or another.” [Jie Chen]
--And I'd call Mr Bush's statement at best redundant, perhaps idiotic. -- n

--“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary..”
- William Faulkner about Ernest Hemingway [Bethany Robbins]
HERE's a good example of litotes. -- n 

--“It’s a shame, he really lost his head.” –Austin Powers (after seeing a henchman get his head eaten off by angry, mutated sea bass) [Kelly Ondriezek]
no-n

Go to Figaro for a good example of litotes AND metonymy. -- n

Malapropism

--“I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.”

George W. Bush [Bethany Robbins]
STANDOUT
I think that this is a perfect—and hilarious—example of malapropism. I think you meant successors there, Georgie. [Alex Atkinson]

George Bush (My own example) I love ‘Bushisms’ they have made it a breeze to remember this term. [Bethany Robbins] 

Our current executive shall be remembered for many a rhetorical quips. This one can go somewhere at the top of the list. [Joseph C. Stevens]

 OK--but this term isn't in our tool kit: it's a funny device but not a rhetorical one (i.e., rarely is it used deliberately). -- n

Meiosis
--“Well, I finally figured out why gas is so high.
It's purely geographical if you open your eyes.
There's oil down in Texas, and lots of Oklahoma drills,
But all the dipsticks are on Capital Hill.”

(Lyrics by Bill Whyte  , The Dipstick Song. )[Leslie Beebe]

--“Pin monkey” for bowling alley worker…like Homer Simpson in the episode where he tells the story of before Maggie was born, and he worked at a bowling alley. [Kelly Ondriezek]
OK--"pin monkey" is a good example of meiosis (as opposed to name-calling). -- n

-- "I was somewhat worried when the psychopath ran toward me with a chainsaw." [Joseph C. Stevens]  
STANDOUT & PUZZLER
This is a great example of Meiosis.  It is very rhetorical statement made whenever someone says they are “somewhat worried” while a “psychopath ran toward” them brandishing a chainsaw. [Valerie Bumgardner] 

(I don't see the word "psychopath" coming across as a belittling understatement considering the fellow is coming after you with a chainsaw. Seems a quite fitting description.) [Leslie Beebe]
I agree with Leslie--n

-- She take my money when I'm in need

Yea she's a triffin friend indeed

Oh she's a gold digga way over town

That dig's on me

Abstract from the song "Gold digger" by Kanye West

[Katharina Binder]


-Organ Donor -   What I heard nurses, and paramedics, call people who rode motorcycles when I worked  in the ER.[Deanne McDowell]
STANDOUT
(to me, this statement is also 'commonplace.' I have heard this term used to describe motorcyclists most of my life. It is a good example of meiosis.) [Leslie Beebe]
Yes--in this context "organ donor" is meiosis. But while it may be common, it's not a rhetorical commonplace. See p. 486 in Classical Rhetoric. - n

Metaphor
--“ You see, this profession is filled to the brim with unrealistic motherfuckers. Motherfuckers who thought their ass would age like wine. If you mean it turns to vinegar, it does. If you mean it gets better with age, it don't. “ 
[ Marsellus in the movie Pulp Fiction] [Jessica Roberts]
--This simile is a good example of distinctio -- n

--“In clomping off; -- and scared the outer night,
     Which has its sounds, familiar, like the roar
     Of trees and crack of branches, common things,”

      ------- (Robert Frost, “An Old Man’s Winter Night”)

 Analysis: these lines are an example of metaphor: “sounds” of “clomping” is the tenor, and “roar of trees and crack of branches” is the vehicle. [Jie Chen]
PUZZLER
This example would be better labeled as a simile rather than a metaphor, because of the word “like” to compare the similar qualities of the sounds.

 For the record, I was also informed that my example of metaphor was also a simile. I tend to overlook the “like” and “as”. [Jessica Roberts]
Right--it's a simile. -- n

--"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations." - Faith Baldwin. [Maguli
--NICE metaphor. Keep in mind Aristotle's observation that the metaphor is the most pervasive and intellectually important figure. For more metaphors, see Dr. Gregory House, Metaphorically Speaking - n

Metonymy
-- “Okay, Houston. It leaves us with just the computer which
I'm shutting down now... And that's it... (to CREW)
We just put Sir Isaac Newton in the driver's seat.”

 Another Apollo 13 quote. By Tom Hanks/ Jim Lovell. ‘Sir Isaac Newton’ is referenced in the place of ‘gravity.’ [Leslie Beebe]
Some would call this metonymy. Others personification. -- n

-- see my body is borrowed

i got it on loan

for the time in between my mom and some maggots

(ani difranco, “my IQ”) [Eva Glasgow]
STANDOUT
In all honesty this puzzled me at first but now I get it; the phrase “my mom” is the substitute for birth and “some maggots” the stand in for death. The fact that I had to stop and think on it for a while is what made it stand out to me. [Amanda Murphy]
OK--and thanks for the clarification, Amanda. -- n

Narratio

--“ What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you justcan't reach, so you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it.  Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men.”

[ Captain, Road Prison 36 in the movie Cool Hand Luke] [Jessica Roberts]

--Dave Eggers- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius  

“Hey Baby.”

     “Hey Honey.”

     “Fuck you,” says Meredith.  She is still sitting down, head in her knees.  One of the girls hovers over her.

     I am blind.  I blink frantically, swatting the sand out of my eyes, while wondering if I am blind and if we’ll both be dead soon. 

Egger writes this entire novel relying heavily on narratio.  He constantly explains what goes one while he also tries to tell narratives with the use of a ton of side bars. [Valerie Bumgardner]

--Evan: Stay calm, okay? Let's not lose our heads. It's... it's a fine ID; it'll... it's gonna work. It's passable, okay? This isn't terrible. I mean, it's up to you, Fogell. This guy is either gonna think 'Here's another kid with a fake ID' or 'Here's McLovin, a 25 year-old Hawaiian organ donor'. Okay? So what's it gonna be?
Fogell: [grinning] ... I am McLovin!
Superbad, movie[Courtney Sanders]

--“I did it for the woman and I did it for the money. I didn’t get the woman and I didn’t get the money.” –Walter Neff, Double Indemnity [Kelly Ondriezek]
PUZZLER
I am not sure if this is an example of narratio. The phrase tells why the speaker did what they did and the result but I am not sure if it would be enough information to be considered a narrative account or truly explains the nature of what happened. [Amanda Murphy]

--"I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom, but I taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a boyfriend; not an Italian. She went to the movies with him; she stayed out late. I didn't protest. Two months ago, he took her for a drive, with another boyfriend. They made her drink whiskey. And then they tried to take advantage of her. She resisted. She kept her honor. So they beat her, like an animal. When I went to the hospital, her nose was a'broken. Her jaw was a'shattered, held together by wire. She couldn't even weep because of the pain. But I wept. Why did I weep? She was the light of my life beautiful girl. Now she will never be beautiful again. I went to the police, like a good American. These two boys were brought to trial. The judge sentenced them to three years in prison - suspended sentence. Suspended sentence! They went free that very day! I stood in the courtroom like a fool. And those two bastards, they smiled at me. Then I said to my wife, for justice, we must go to Don Corleone." 
Bonasera  The Godfather  [Deanne McDowell]
Deanne's example (unlike the others) is clearly narratio because it appears in the context of an argument Bonasera is delivering to the Don. -- n

Onomatopoeia

--“Zoom- Zoom.”

[Advertisement in Real Simple magazine for the Mazda CX-9 Sport Utility vehicle] [Jessica Roberts]
STANDOUT
This is a great example of onomatopoeia, it is short and is a universal sound that refers to objects that move and go fast. [Jayce Goosby]

-- While baking the cake for the dessert, she always had an eye for the steaks that were sizzling in the pan. (made up example)

[Katharina Binder]

--"But then they danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled
after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because
the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad
to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the
ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like
fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and
in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'"
From: On the Road Jack Kerouac [Britney Compton]

Bang the Drum Slowly  Movie title
[Deanne McDowell]

Oxymoron-
--“Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!

          O any thing, of nothing first create!

        O heavy lightness! serious vanity!

        Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!

       Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire,

        sick health!

        Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!

      This love feel I, that feel no love in this.

       Dost thou not laugh?”

       “Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.

        Good night, good night! parting is such

        sweet sorrow,

    That I shall say good night till it be morrow.”

    [ Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare] [Jessica Roberts]
STANDOUT
This passage from Shakespeare is full of beautiful examples of oxymoron, and all of them are used to convey emotion in a way that Shakespeare is famous for. [Amanda Murphy]
OK-n

-- Legally drunk

Minor crisis

Jumbo shrimp [Kelly Ondriezek]

Parable

-- The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story “ ‘Ef you don’t lemme loose, I’ll knock you again,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, en wid dat he fotch ‘er a wipe wid de udder han,’ en dat stuck.  Tar-Baby, he ain’t sayin’ nuthin’, en Brer Fox, he lay low.”  

This is a great example of parable because these stories were short and sweet.  They told a quick lesson that effected people’s lives and they have lasted for generations.  These stories are colloquial and regional, but there are tons of versions you can still hear today. [Valerie Bumgardner]

ASSIGNMENT: Your great challenge is to find examples of some of the less obvious (and perhaps more difficult to remember) terms.   If you submit examples of terms that we already know (such as parable, proverb, and simile), I will deduct points and ridicule you mercilessly on this web site.   -- n

Paralepsis
--You can be so persuasive
When you say it's
More than a day trip
And convince me
I'm condescending
When I ask, "Will this be ending?"
How quickly lust can pretend it's love?
From: So Cold I Could See My Breath Emery [Britney Compton]

PUZZLER
*I am not sure if this example illustrates the term paralepsis because I am unsure of what point is being emphasized by seeming to pass over it. Perhaps I don’t understand the context of this excerpt? [Eva Glasgow]

 I am not quite sure how this is an example of paralepsis. What is point is the speaker trying to pass over in order to emphasize it? [Amanda Murphy]
-Nor do I see paralepsis. See explanation and example here. - n

Parallelism
--“Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.”
(Tom Robbins, author) [Eva Glasgow]
STANDOUT
This is a good example because the structure of the first half of the sentence is parallel to the second. [Amanda Murphy] 
OK-n

Parataxis
--"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul." -Anonymous. [Maguli]
STANDOUT
Even though these two phrases tie an idea together, they can stand alone. They are arranged to do this but they coordinate in construction to state a point. [Jayce Goosby] 

I like this example because it helps me understand parataxis, which in turn helps me understand hypotaxis a little better. [Bethany Robbins]

OK--also see the third paragraph (in particular) of Steinbeck's "Paradox and Dream" - n

--“He’s an engineer, isn’t he?”    /    Breakfast, lunch, and dinner[Joseph C. Stevens]      
PUZZLER
A parataxis is an independent clause, breakfast, lunch and dinner, does not seem [Jayce Goosby]

I see that the two phrases are arranged independently, but this example seems to represent a stated question and then an answer. It doesn’t help me to remember the meaning of parataxis. [Jessica Roberts]
--Right. In this context, "Isn't he?" is known as a tag question--but you don't need to know that. -- n

Parenthesis
--“Three hours afterward the postman brought me a large envelope containing my MS. and a piece of inexpensive paper, about 3 inches by 4--I suppose some of you have seen them-- upon which was written in violet ink, "With the Sun's thanks.” ---- (O Henry, “The Sparrows in Madison Square”)

 Analysis: parenthesis is applied to the sentence: “I suppose some…them” is an insertion of some verbal unit in a position to interrupt the flow of the sentence. [Jie Chen]
Right--n

Peroration
--Bender has stumbled upon a star-like God while drifting through space]
Bender: …I was God once.
Futurama God: Yes, I saw. You were doing well until everyone died. Bender, being God isn't easy. If you do too much, people get dependent on you. And if you do nothing, they lose hope. You have to use a light touch, like a safecracker or a pickpocket.
Bender: Or a guy who burns down a bar for the insurance money!
Futurama God: Yes, if he makes it look like an electrical thing. If you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. (Futurama)

 (f you take the final line out of context it can really be applied to everyday life quite nicely. If you do a bad job everyone will notice right away. If no one seems to notice you have done anything, as frustrating as it may be not to get recognition, it means you have probably done something right.)[Leslie Beebe]

--Fogell: [grinning] ... I am McLovin!
Seth: No you're not. No one's McLovin. McLovin's never existed because that's a made up dumb FUCKING FAIRY TALE NAME, YOU FUCK!

Superbad, movie[Courtney Sanders] 

--“…And bid them speak for me: but were I Brutus,And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony Would ruffle up your spirits and put a tongue  In every wound of Caesar that should move The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.” [Joseph C. Stevens] 
OK--Antony's lines are part of his peroration (which basically means the concluding part of a speech)--n

Personification

--“Oreo: Milk’s favorite cookie.” [From the package of Oreo cookies in my kitchen] [Jessica Roberts]
STANDOUT
This example vividly pictures “milk” as a person eating “cookie.” [Jie Chen]

I like the example because it a slogan we have all heard time and time again.  This is an easy way to remember what personification is. [Valerie Bumgardner]

 

Ploce
--“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson [Bethany Robbins]
STANDOUT
*This quote demonstrates ploce very well because “lies,” in the third repetition, no longer refers to actions past and future; instead, in its new sense, “lies” refers to one’s personality traits. I’ve always liked this quote, so now I’ll be sure to associate it with ploce.

Bethany Robbins example definately will help me remember the term. It is
a quote the doesn't allow the term to get lost in fancy noise. [Britney Compton]
Good example--n

 Polyptoton

---“You're not a bitch. You're bitchin', but you're not a bitch.” – Edward Darko form Donnie Darko [Amanda Murphy]
STANDOUT
*This example is an adequate illustration of polyptoton. It is also short and simple, which will help me to remember the term. [Eva Glasgow]

--"I will either be famous or infamous." - Otto Dix. [Maguli]
PUZZLER
This would not be a polyptoton because the endings stay the same. The roots have to be the same but the endings are supposed to be different to be a polyptoton. [Jayce Goosby]
Right, Jayce. - n

I not sure that this is polyptoton; because the difference between “famous” and “infamous” is the prefix, not the ending. According to my understanding, a better example of polyptoton would be a sentence that contained famous and fame, or famously. [Alex Atkinson]
You've got it, Alex--n
*Both ‘famous’ and ‘infamous’ have the same root, but the definition of polyptoton calls for the repetition of words derived from the same root but with different endings. Could this be a version of polyptoton, or perhaps an example of a term that relies on the repetition of words with the same root but different prefixes? [Eva Glasgow]
a wee antithesis--n

Polysyndeton
--“Let us love nobly, and live, and add again

Years and years unto years, till we attain
To write threescore: this is the second of our reign.”

-John Donne “The Anniversary” [Amanda Murphy]

-- His skin was as cool and smooth and dark as silt.—from Mrs. Mariani by Alex Atkinson [Alex Atkinson]

Both OK--n

Proverb

-- Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Chinese Proverb [Alex Atkinson]

--“Happiness is sleeping late.” –a refrigerator magnet that’s been at my house since I could read…and it rings true to this day….I wish I was sleeping right now. [Kelly Ondriezek]

 ASSIGNMENT: Your great challenge is to find examples of some of the less obvious (and perhaps more difficult to remember) terms.   If you submit examples of terms that we already know (such as parable, proverb, and simile), I will deduct points and ridicule you mercilessly on this web site.   -- n

Pun

--“I used to be a tap dancer until I fell in the sink.”—from www. punoftheday.com [Alex Atkinson]
STANDOUT & PUZZLER
(I could not help but laugh at this one) [Leslie Beebe] 

 I like this example because of its underlying humor. The simplicity of the example will help me to refer back to my memory when thinking about the meaning of puns. [Jessica Roberts] 

I really hope that nobody needed another example of pun to grasp the concept. That said, Alex's pun made me laugh out loud--so all is forgiven. -- n

This excerpt is amusing. I would have gone with a pun that may have received  a quicker response from the audience. [Joseph C. Stevens]

Refutation
-- Tom hanks (As Jim Lovell in Apollo 13): “Christopher Columbus, Charles Lindbergh and Neil Armstrong. From now on we'll live in the world when man has walked on the Moon. It's not a miracle. We just decided to go.”

 (Jim makes this statement to his wife after she tells him how concerned she got the last time he went into space on Apollo 8. This effectively ends their talk about how dangerous his job can be by making it seem common place. )[Leslie Beebe]

Maybe a mini-refutation. See pp 278-283 in Classical Rhetoric. - n

Rhetorical Question

-- I just thought this one was funny…”If a tree falls in an empty forest and it hits a mime, does anyone care? –Gary Larsen cartoon [Kelly Ondriezek]

SEMANTIC PLEONASM
--a round circle, a shoot gun

[Katharina Binder]

Not on my list of terms--n

Sprezzatura
--“Why is Cloud 9 so amazing? What is wrong with Cloud 8? That joke came off the top of my head, and the top of my head ain't funny!”
-Mitch Hedberg [Amanda Murphy]
STANDOUT
I enjoy this excerpt. The simpler it is, then the better off it will be for me. [Joseph C. Stevens]

Syllepsis
-- To renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties. --- (Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, “Slavery”)                 Analysis: the sentence is an example of syllepsis, because “surrender” is understood differently in relation to “rights” and “duties.” [Jie Chen]
Not really. Rights and duties are parallel and complementary attributes of citizenship. See Classical Rhetoric, pp 399-400. - n

Syllogism

--"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. Sooooo, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!"
-Brian O'Rourke [Bethany Robbins]
OK--n

--"A poem is a naked person...some people say that I am a poet." - Bob dylan. [Maguli]
PUZZLER & STANDOUT
This sentence is more like enthymeme, because one or more elements are missing here, and since “a naked person” implies “truth”, the implied part of the sentence may be “I compose the real poem telling the truth.” [Jie Chen]
Right, Jie--if the reader is left to puzzle out a premise, it's an enthymeme, not a syllogism. See pp 38-52 in Classical Rhetoric. -- n

After looking at other student examples of syllogism, I noticed that many of them gave all of the premises without allowing the reader to use deduction. I like this one because the main point is left up to the reader to figure out. [Jessica Roberts]
Then it's not a syllogism. - n

 Maguli's quote from Bob Dylan doesn't quite fit the definition. If a
poem is a naked person, and bob dylan is a poem, thus he is a naked
person. But if a poem is a naked person, and bob dylan is a poet, he
writes naked people? [Britney Compton] 

Song verses are the time machines of my youth. I can trace them back to my kindergarten days. [Joseph C. Stevens] 

Synecdoche
--“Hungry mouths to feed” –wikipedia [Kelly Ondriezek]
STANDOUT
This is a perfect example of synecdoche. It’s not the mouths that are hungry, it’s the people. [Alex Atkinson]
OK-n

Tapinosis
--Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not a beautiful or
unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything
else.”
From: Fight Club (Movie) [Britney Compton]
STANDOUT
I like this example of tapinosis, because it serves a dual purpose. Clearly this statement is meant to debase its audience—Tyler Durden’s “space monkeys”—but it does so in order to bind them together with their sameness. [Alex Atkinson]

I don’t know why but I really like the quote and it will stick with me. [Bethany Robbins]
OK-n

Tetracolon Climax
-- Malcolm X- Ballot or the Bullet. “Brothers and sisters and friends and I see some enemies…”
Malcolm X gave this very powerful speech that works as an anthesis to Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, which asked for peace.   Malcolm X disagreed with Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach and he demanded action, whether it be voting or fighting.  The force of this speech is established in the very first lines where he acknowledges his equals and calls out his enemies. [Valerie Bumgardner]
--Yeah, except the speech actually begins "Mr. Moderator, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, friends and enemies: I just can't believe everyone in here is a friend, and I don't want to leave anybody out." It's a series but not a true tetracolon climax. Here's a terracolon from later in the same speech: "The same government that you go abroad to fight for and die for is the government that is in a conspiracy to deprive you of your voting rights, deprive you of your economic opportunities, deprive you of decent housing, deprive you of decent education."--n

Tricolon

--“No shirt. No shoes. No problem.”—sign at the beach [Alex Atkinson]
--“Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.” –Girl Scouts mission  [Kelly Ondriezek]

Understatement
--“Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking.” –Steve McCroskey, Airplane! [Kelly Ondriezek]

- Good luck with your layoffs, all right? I hope your firings go really well.   Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston)  Office Space
[Deanne McDowell]]
STANDOUT
 This is a great example of an understatement. What could be more serious than getting laid off from your job? The writers did a good job of making the situation seem less important than it truly was. [Jessica Roberts]
OK-n

Voice

Passive – Sleep would be very much appreciated by Kelly right now.

Active – Kelly wants sleep now. [Kelly Ondriezek]
OK--that's grammatical voice. Also know the rhetorical definition of voice: the distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or of a narrator in a text.-- n

zeugma
--“‘He never heard about the Day of Grieving. He left in a state of distraction and a winter coat,’ she said, still quizzing us on rhetorical constructions (in this case, zeugma) which we had to identify before being excused from her presence.”
(Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides) [Eva Glasgow]
[great example--and you can call it either syllepsis or zeugma. Toss out the other examples, below--which are neither zeugma nor syllepsis.-n]

--“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.”
Raphael Sabatini, Scaramouche [Bethany Robbins]

--“I’m not as think as you drunk I am.” – t-shirt I saw out somewhere… I think it was downtown…I’m not too sure if this would actually be considered zeugma, but I thought it was funny. [Kelly Ondriezek]
STANDOUT
I’m with ya, Kelly; I’m not sure that this is zeugma either. In fact, at the moment, I guess I’m a little unclear as to what the word actually means[Alex Atkinson]

--I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for
myself and for my talent.
Marilyn Monroe [Britney Compton]

Others . . .

Ellipsis:

--Jules: Well, so, I mean, I have my dad's car... so I could just give you a lift... and Evan can take Becca home. If that works... I dunno.

Superbad, movie [Courtney Sanders]

Epimone

Evan: 'Here's McLovin, a 25 year-old Hawaiian organ donor'. Okay? So what's it gonna be?
Fogell: [grinning] ... I am McLovin!
Seth: No you're not. No one's McLovin. McLovin's never existed because that's a made up dumb FUCKING FAIRY TALE NAME, YOU FUCK!

Superbad, movie[Courtney Sanders]

TERMS (A-G) RETURN HERE
____________________________________________
English 5730 is taught by Dr. Richard Nordquist.
Armstrong Atlantic State University                    
updated 11 March 2008