Rhetoric Devices Essay

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Mini Lessons RHETORICAL DEVICES Device #1 – Hyperbole * Consists of exaggerating some part of a statement in order to give it emphasis or focus * Single-most overused rhetorical form * We are a culture absorbed by exaggeration, and left, unchecked, it can weaken writing immensely. * Three main uses - 1. to make a point strongly; for instance, apply hyperbole if you want to energize your statement and drive it home with gusto * “There are more reasons for NASA to fund a trip to Jupiter than there are miles in the journey.” 2. to make your reader snap to attention and focus * “At these words, the people became so silent you could hear a beating heart from across the room.” 3. to demonstrate the difference between two things * “Compared to the world during the last Ice Age, a Minnesota winter feels like spring in Hawaii.” Exercise – Write a statement using hyperbole about the following topics; consider the best and worst thing you could say about the topic, then exaggerate your statement. Pick three from the list. Example – My neighborhood My neighborhood is so boring that when a cat walks across the street, it draws a crowd. 1. School, in general 2. A friend’s athletic ability 3. The weather 4. Your favorite or least favorite team 5. Summer 6. A musical group or performer Mini Lessons RHETORICAL DEVICES Device #2 – Understatement * When the force of a descriptive statement is less than what one would normally expect * Can be used either to highlight the extreme nature of an event or idea (the hurricane was “a bit of weather”) or for ironic effect (“Benjamin Franklin had a good idea or two.”) * Used properly, understatement can strengthen your case in an argumentative essay Examples – * “Whatever his faults, Sir Isaac Newton did have a fairly good mind for science.” *
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