Most Common Rhetorical Devices AP Lang

Summary

In this informative video, Coach Hall revisits the topic of rhetorical devices and choices, essential for AP Language students. He clarifies the distinction between the two, emphasizing the importance of identifying prevalent devices and the verbs that describe the writer's actions. The video offers strategies for analyzing appeals, diction, tone, and various rhetorical techniques, advocating for precise verbs and sentence structures to enhance essay analysis. Coach Hall also addresses common student concerns, such as identifying rhetorical choices in passages, and provides a list of useful, higher-level verbs to enrich students' writing.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video is an updated guide on rhetorical devices and choices for the AP Language exam.
• 📝 Rhetorical devices are typically nouns used by the writer, while rhetorical choices are verbs describing what the writer is doing.
• 🔍 Students don't need to memorize extensive lists of devices but should know a handful of prevalent ones for analysis.
• 📈 The focus should be on how the writer creates rhetorical appeals rather than just identifying logos, ethos, and pathos.
• 💬 Diction and tone are interconnected; word choice (diction) creates the speaker's attitude (tone) towards the subject.
• ⚖️ When analyzing, it's important to consider both the 'what' (the choice) and the 'why' (the purpose behind the choice).
• 🌐 Comparison and contrast are used to highlight similarities and differences, respectively, and should be clearly identified in analysis.
• 🔄 Repetition is a common rhetorical device that can be analyzed by looking at the specific phrase repeated and its purpose.
• 📖 Anecdotes are short stories within a passage and should be distinguished from examples, which are used as proof.
• 🔢 Facts, statistics, and examples often create a logical appeal and should be described in terms of how they support the speaker's claim.
• ❓ Questions posed by the speaker can be rhetorical or answered by the speaker (hypophora), and their purpose should be analyzed.
• 🧐 If no obvious rhetorical choices are seen, students should look for verbs like 'acknowledges' or 'addresses' to identify the writer's actions.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is to discuss the most common rhetorical devices and choices that students need to know for the AP Language exam.

Why does the speaker suggest not to memorize extensive lists of rhetorical devices?

The speaker suggests not to memorize extensive lists of rhetorical devices because students don't need to know all 50 to 100 items on the list; instead, it's more helpful to know a handful of prevalent devices and choices.

What is the difference between a rhetorical device and a rhetorical choice according to the video?

A rhetorical device is something the writer uses and is generally expressed as a noun, while a rhetorical choice is what the writer is doing and is expressed as a verb.

Why does the speaker recommend turning nouns into verbs when discussing rhetorical devices?

Turning nouns into verbs helps to clearly express the action the writer is taking, making it easier to understand and analyze the rhetorical strategy being employed.

What is the speaker's view on analyzing the rhetorical appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos?

The speaker believes that instead of focusing on analyzing logos, ethos, and pathos as the main idea of each paragraph, it's more effective to describe what the writer is doing to create the appeal, using phrases like 'appeals to logic' or 'appeals to credibility'.

How can students identify the tone of a passage?

Students can identify the tone of a passage by examining the diction or word choice used by the author, as tone is created through word choice and reflects the speaker's attitude toward the subject.

What is the purpose of using 'what' and 'why' in a rhetorical analysis?

Using 'what' and 'why' helps to not only identify the rhetorical choice being made but also to analyze the reason behind it, providing a deeper understanding of the writer's intentions.

Why does the speaker advise against simply stating 'the writer uses tone' in an analysis?

Stating 'the writer uses tone' is not effective because tone isn't used, it's created. It's more insightful to describe how the writer uses specific words to create a certain tone.

What is the significance of the terms 'anaphora' and 'epistrophe' in the context of the video?

Anaphora and epistrophe are specific types of repetition, but the speaker suggests that students don't necessarily need to know these terms for the AP exam; instead, they can describe the repetition as it occurs in the text.

How can students approach a passage where they don't see any obvious rhetorical choices?

Students should look at what the speaker is doing in the beginning, middle, and end of the passage. They can use verbs like 'acknowledges', 'addresses', 'justifies', 'presents', and 'showcases' to signal a choice and explain what the writer is doing.

What does the speaker mean by 'scuba dive, not water ski' when analyzing a passage?

The phrase 'scuba dive, not water ski' is a metaphor for deeply analyzing a passage rather than just skimming the surface. It encourages students to dig deeper into the text to understand the writer's choices and their purposes.