Reference: Rhetorical and Poetic Devices

[Zythus]

After seeing the amount of stories here that have potential for better improvement, I decided to try and collect some good ways to refine your works. After some extensive research, I've complied this reference.

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~Rhetorical and Poetic Devices~

Rhetorical: The art of effectively speaking or writing.

Purpose: To allow authors to express themselves and their writing in a clear, more coherent, emphatic, or creative manner.

[Use Ctrl+F to find the device easier.]



Alliteration
Definition: The repetition of the same consonant sounds.
Example: He clasps the crag with crooked hands.


Allusion
Definition: An indirect or direct reference to something you assume your audience will understand and appreciate.
Example: His new plays made him the William Shakespeare of the 21st Century.


Analogy
Definition: A situation that is similar, comparable; a likeness in some respects.
Example: Just as Romans did not build Rome in a day, so we need a time to think and develop a great story.


Anaphora
Definition: Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses.
Example: Let us pray for peace. Let us pray for wisdom. Let us pray for the future.
Notes: Great for majestic speeches or any kind of instigative or motivative speeching.


Diction
Definition: The choice and use of words.
Example: The denotations and connotations of words~
Sentence 1: I went to the store to get milk.
Sentence 2: I ran rapidly to the store to purchase milk for breakfast.
Notes: Diction is the general style you write in.


Euphemism
Definition: The substitution of a more delicate or less offensive word or phrase for another- both of which tend to mean the same thing.
Example: I'm not laying off workers! I'm only downsizing!
Notes: I find this especially useful in poetry when talking about harsh subjects. Killing for example, if you want to write a very materialistic composition, it would be wise to incorporate euphemism.


Exaggeration
Definition: A statement that stretches the truth, also called Hyperbole.
Example: I feel like 10 feet tall!
Note: This is more or less used in any story, to add emphasis and entertainment value to your story.


Flashback
Definition: The writer describes an earlier time in the story and explains something that will help the reader understand the plot and character better.
Example: A character recalling a previous event~
John saw the "Beware of Dogs" sign and froze, his hands trembling in fear.
It was an early March afternoon when a German Sheppard bit him.
Note: This device is useful when you start a story without emphasis on describing character personalities. Flashbacks can be major plot changers and may determine climax.


Foreshadowing
Definition: A clue or hint about what will happen later in the story.
Example: I think coming to this party was a bad idea...
Note: As seen mostly from Shakespeare's plays.


Idiom
Definition: A common phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually mean.
Example: It was raining cats and dogs. (This example is also exaggeration.)


Imagery
Definition: A technique a writer uses to create pictures in the reader's mind and to appeal to the senses of touch, taste, smell, or hearing.
Example: The horse and wagon ripped through the night. The wheels squeaked and sighed in cue with the cracking of the driver's whip.
Note: You don't have this, your story sucks, period. A general and basic element of any story or poem.


Irony
2 Types:
1) Dramatic Irony:
Definition: The reader/audience knows about an even or situation that the character does not.
2) Verbal Irony:
Definition: The speaker says one thing means something else.
Example: I was simply overjoyed at having to return to school after the summer break.
Notes: I could not find a way to express dramatic irony, sorry. But irony is a good way to present a character and his/her personality.


Juxtaposition
Definition: Place two ideas together so that their closeness and comparison create a sharp contrast or a new, sometimes ironic, meaning.
Example: In shampoo endorsement, having a woman with conditioned hair, and one with dandruff.


Metaphor
Definition: An direct expression that describes or implies a comparison between a person, place, or thing.
Example: The sky was a blue sea.
Note: I said direct expression. If the comparison was said as "The sky was as blue as the sea". it would then be a simile, which is further down. Metaphors contribute to imagery and promotes details of the ambiance of your story.


Onomatopoeia
Definition: Words whose sound makes you think of their meaning.
Example: Boom, Crash, Whiz, Bang.
Notes: Sound effects basically.


Oxymoron
Definition: The joining of two contradictory words in a phrase.
Example: A jumbo shrimp. (Shrimps are small, how can it be jumbo?)
Note: Oxymorons are often also Paradoxes, it's difficult to find distinction.


Paradox
Definition: An apparently contradictory statement that nevertheless contains an element of truth.
Example: I was really guilty of being innocent.


Paralipsis
Definition: The act of mentioning something to an audience while saying you won't mention it.
Example: I don't think I even need to mention the amount of media attention my opponent's recent affairs with one of his staff members has received.
Note: Usually used in oratory.

Parallel Structure
Definition: The repetition of a grammatical structure in a sentence.
Example: Many people use drugs as a socializing tool, as a way to meet new people, as a way to be popular.
Note: This includes Anaphora.


Personification
Definition: When the writer describes an animal/plant or an inanimate object as if it were a person and/or with human characteristics.
Example: The chair groaned and squeaked under his weight.
Note: Absolute necessity in stories, also with some poems.


Pun
Definition: A word or phrase with more than one possible meaning used to create comic effect.
Example: The shoemaker was a mender of old "souls" (Vs. Soles)
Note: Used often in dramatic Irony


Repetition
Definition: Repeating of a word, phase or line to add rhythm or to emphasize an idea.
Example: It was bright morning and a morning of a new future. The sun's glorious rays illuminated the morning like never before.


Rhetorical Question
Definition: A question whose answer is already known or implied.
Example: Shall we let poverty rule our world?
Note: Used to make a point.


Rhyme
Definition: Words that sound alike.
Example: Last and Past.
Note: Used often in poetry.


Rhythm
Definition: The occurrence of a beat or a sound in the words of a poem.
Example: Twin-kle twin-kle lit-tle star. (Twinkle twinkle little star.)


Simile
Definition: An expression that describes or directly compares a person, place, or thing by comparing it to something else using the words "like" or "as".
Example: The sky was like a blue sea.


Symbolism
Definition:A person, place or thing or event that is used to represent something else.
Example: White flag = surrender.


Tell me any mistakes if you see any.