Term Definition Allegory an extended symbol that lasts for the duration of the entire narrative Alliteration repetition of consonant sounds; (try to trick ten tiny teens) or Peter Piper picked a pack of pickeled peppers. Allusion a reference to something else Archetypes symbolic elements that recur in different cultures Assonance repetition of vowel sounds; (Owls owe our only ounce) Author The person who wrote the text. Diction Word Choice, determines tone Dynamic character changes over time First-person singular narrator Internal; narrator uses the first person pronoun “I” (first-person plural- “we”, less common) Flat Character Behaves in an expected manner Foil a character held up consistently as a contrast to another character. Foreshadowing clues as to what is to come ahead Illusion like a mirage or a ghost, a vision that is not real In media res in the middle of things Irony when the intended meaning is the opposite to what is written or said. (It says one thing but means the reverse) Limited narrator external; access to thoughts and feelings of one character. Metaphor More explicit comparison (she is the sun) Narrative a story, whether true or fictional, that is told by a narrator Narrator The person in the text who tells the story. Omniscient narrator external; has access to thoughts and feelings of all characters. Onomatopoeia words that sound like what they mean (splish splash) Oxymoron a combination of contradictory ideas (wise fool) Personification An inanimate object displays human behavior. (The rock talks) Round Character Has a psychological complexity Second person narrator could be internal or external. Addresses “you”. Less common. Turns reader into character in story. Simile comparison using like or as; She is like the sun. Static Character remains the same over time Stock character represent a "type," often like a cliché Symbol something that stands for something else Syntax Sentence structure Third-person narrator External; refers to all characters through pronouns he, she, they. Narrator is not a character in the action. Tone writer's attitude toward Unreliable narrator often a 1 st person narrator is unreliable. Unknowingly reveals character flaws. RHET 1302 Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis Submit: Upload online through the TurnItIn assignment button The submission button will not be visible until the week before the assignment is due You will also upload your draft this way Length: 3-4 FULL pages with Works Cited (Works Cited does not count towards page total) Sources: One speech Points: Final (100 points), Full Draft (20 points) Purpose: Rhetoric is the art of effective communication, or as Aristotle stated, “the ability to see or identify in any given circumstance the available means of persuasion.” In Rhetoric, we focus on “how” people are communicating rather than simply what they are saying. This.

1. Term Definition
Allegory an extended symbol that lasts for the duration of the
entire narrative
Alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds; (try to trick ten tiny teens) or
Peter Piper picked a pack of
pickeled peppers.
Allusion a reference to something else
Archetypes symbolic elements that recur in different cultures
Assonance repetition of vowel sounds; (Owls owe our only
ounce)
Author The person who wrote the text.
Diction Word Choice, determines tone
Dynamic character changes over time
First-person singular narrator
Internal; narrator uses the first person pronoun “I”
(first-person plural- “we”, less common)
Flat Character Behaves in an expected manner

2. Foil a character held up consistently as a contrast to another
character.
Foreshadowing clues as to what is to come ahead
Illusion like a mirage or a ghost, a vision that is not real
In media res in the middle of things
Irony
when the intended meaning is the opposite to what is written or
said.
(It says one thing but means the reverse)
Limited narrator external; access to thoughts and feelings of one
character.
Metaphor More explicit comparison (she is the sun)
Narrative a story, whether true or fictional, that is told by a
narrator
Narrator The person in the text who tells the story.
Omniscient narrator external; has access to thoughts and
feelings of all characters.
Onomatopoeia words that sound like what they mean (splish
splash)
Oxymoron a combination of contradictory ideas (wise fool)
Personification An inanimate object displays human behavior.

3. (The rock talks)
Round Character Has a psychological complexity
Second person narrator
could be internal or external. Addresses “you”. Less common.
Turns reader into character in story.
Simile comparison using like or as; She is like the sun.
Static Character remains the same over time
Stock character represent a "type," often like a cliché
Symbol something that stands for something else
Syntax Sentence structure
Third-person narrator
External; refers to all characters through pronouns he, she, they.
Narrator is not a character in the action.
Tone writer's attitude toward
Unreliable narrator
often a 1
st
person narrator is unreliable.

4. Unknowingly reveals character flaws.
RHET 1302
Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis
Submit: Upload online through the TurnItIn assignment button
The submission button will not be visible until the week before
the assignment is due
You will also upload your draft this way
Length: 3-4 FULL pages with Works Cited (Works Cited does
not count towards page total)
Sources: One speech
Points: Final (100 points), Full Draft (20 points)
Purpose: Rhetoric is the art of effective communication, or as
Aristotle stated, “the ability to see or
identify in any given circumstance the available means of
persuasion.” In Rhetoric, we focus on “how”
people are communicating rather than simply what they are
saying. This assignment asks you examine
the text of a speech and analyze HOW it conveys its message.

5. Your purpose for writing this essay is not
to talk about what the speech is actually about but instead to
focus on the literary and rhetorical
techniques the speech uses to convince the audience of its
purpose.
Audience: Your audience for this assignment is your instructor
and your classmates. Therefore, your tone
should be academic and more formal than if you were speaking
to a friend.
Speech Parameters: Read the speeches posted in the Essay #1
folder. Please feel free to choose one of
the speeches given on the list. Notice how many of them are
college commencement speeches—that’s
because that kind of speech lends itself very well to this kind of
assignment. If you want to select your
own speech, then here are some guidelines:
-20 minutes (5 minutes is way too
short)
you will need the text too)
ose an old clichéd speech (like from MLK, JFK,

6. Lincoln, etc.)
than a talk)
If you select a speech that is not on the list in eLearning, just
run it by me before you start writing so we
can make sure that you can be successful with your choice.
Remember, throughout the semester, the
responsibility rests on you to select material to work on that
you are actually interested in. When you are
more invested in your topic, then you write a better paper.
In your paper, you need to accomplish the following things:
1. Discuss how the speech uses rhetorical appeals (pathos,
logos, ethos)
2. Analyze how the speech uses rhetorical strategies (like
metaphor, repetition, symbolism, etc.)
3. Determine whether the speech is effective or ineffective at
achieving its purpose based on the
specific evidence of the rhetorical appeals and strategies. Your
thesis statement should be tied to
whether or not you think the speech ultimately does or does not
succeed at convincing its
audience of its main points. Make sure you provide specific
evidence (direct quotations) from the
text of the speech. Remember to consider the context of your
speech—who is the intended

7. audience and for what occasion was it written?
Important Things to Consider: Your paper must be in MLA
format. This means that when you quote
something from your speech, it must be in quotations marks and
have an in-text citation to document
where you got it from. Use the MLA Help button posted in
eLearning. Remember the 1:3 ratio. For
every 1 line of quoted material, you need approximately 3 lines
of explanation. Without the proper
citations, you are committing plagiarism—so, make sure you
document your work appropriately.