Author’s Toolbox:
Rhetorical Devices
What is a rhetorical device?
● How writers use language to influence the reader
Words have two ways to communicate meaning: denotation and connotation.
● Denotation: ​
the literal meaning of the word
● Connotation: a
​
n association (emotional or otherwise) which the word evokes
○ The connotation of a word can make the statement positive, neutral, or negative.
○ ex. young (neutral), immature(negative), kid (positive)
Some useful Rhetorical Devices:
★ Imagery- vivid descriptions, especially for effect
★ Diction- style of speaking/writing dependent on author’s word choice
★ Tone- attitude toward the subject of writing
★ Mood- how the reader feels when reading the story
★ Anaphora- the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive
clauses.
○ Example: “I have a dream” & “Let freedom ring”
★ Allusion- a reference from one literary work to another.
★ Juxtaposition- placing things side-by-side for comparison/contrast