Definition: Litotes is a figure of speech that uses negative words but promotes a positive statement. Its meaning is not meant to be taken literally. The double negative words are intended to express a contrast.This literary term is used to state a positive statement, without actually stating an affirmative. They are usually expressed through an understatement. Litotes are most often used in rhetoric and speech (Litotes).
Function: Litotes use two negative terms to express a positive. This therefore causes the reader to ponder the statement. Litotes are occasionally in literature, however they are most commonly used in nonfiction and rhetoric because it helps a speaker communicate his argument. Litotes also often express a tone of irony …show more content…
He was enslaved at a young age and endured much hardship throughout the years (Douglass 5).
Published Sample Analysis: Abolishment was a main theme in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass enforces the theme by using the metonymy of a “bloodstained gate,” which is closely linked to the entrance of hell (Douglass 5). This connection is utilized to show how the slaves endured horrendous conditions, comparable to a living hell. It also adds poetic detail to the passage and connects the idea of slavery to the underworld. This link shown also allows the reader to bridge together new ideas of how the slaveowners could be comparable to devils. Since the slaveowners enforced cruel and unjustified punishments upon the innocent slaves, it could be argued this treatment is equivalent to that given out by the Devil himself. Douglass hoped by using this metonymy of the gates of hell would make the audience create the association and want to abolish slavery.
Works Cited:
Douglass, Frederick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Millennium Books, 1954.
“Metonymy.” Literary Devices, 8 June 2015, …show more content…
It also includes equivalent syntactical constructions in phrases and lists. In other words, parallelism makes sentences have the same structure. This grammatical tool is essential to proper writing and speaking. It creates conformity and connections within writing. Parallelism also adds balance and rhythm, which giving ideas a smoother flow and more persuasiveness, due to the repetition it utilizes (What).
Function: Parallelism is a necessity in day-to-day life. It promotes coherence and consistency. The parallel structure also create a balance of ideas and can be used as a device in coaxing others. This technique is used by common citizens and many politicians as a tool of persuasion. Having unified arguments with a common structure allows for the audience to perceive the speaker as more intellectual and, therefore, trustworthy. Parallelism utilizes repetition to create the connected design (What).
Published Sample: In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass described his various master throughout the years. He said that one of his masters, Captain Auld, embodied the “airs, words, and actions, (that) were the airs, words, and actions of born slaveholders,” even though he was not born into a slave-owning family (Douglass
Function: Litotes use two negative terms to express a positive. This therefore causes the reader to ponder the statement. Litotes are occasionally in literature, however they are most commonly used in nonfiction and rhetoric because it helps a speaker communicate his argument. Litotes also often express a tone of irony …show more content…
He was enslaved at a young age and endured much hardship throughout the years (Douglass 5).
Published Sample Analysis: Abolishment was a main theme in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass enforces the theme by using the metonymy of a “bloodstained gate,” which is closely linked to the entrance of hell (Douglass 5). This connection is utilized to show how the slaves endured horrendous conditions, comparable to a living hell. It also adds poetic detail to the passage and connects the idea of slavery to the underworld. This link shown also allows the reader to bridge together new ideas of how the slaveowners could be comparable to devils. Since the slaveowners enforced cruel and unjustified punishments upon the innocent slaves, it could be argued this treatment is equivalent to that given out by the Devil himself. Douglass hoped by using this metonymy of the gates of hell would make the audience create the association and want to abolish slavery.
Works Cited:
Douglass, Frederick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Millennium Books, 1954.
“Metonymy.” Literary Devices, 8 June 2015, …show more content…
It also includes equivalent syntactical constructions in phrases and lists. In other words, parallelism makes sentences have the same structure. This grammatical tool is essential to proper writing and speaking. It creates conformity and connections within writing. Parallelism also adds balance and rhythm, which giving ideas a smoother flow and more persuasiveness, due to the repetition it utilizes (What).
Function: Parallelism is a necessity in day-to-day life. It promotes coherence and consistency. The parallel structure also create a balance of ideas and can be used as a device in coaxing others. This technique is used by common citizens and many politicians as a tool of persuasion. Having unified arguments with a common structure allows for the audience to perceive the speaker as more intellectual and, therefore, trustworthy. Parallelism utilizes repetition to create the connected design (What).
Published Sample: In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass described his various master throughout the years. He said that one of his masters, Captain Auld, embodied the “airs, words, and actions, (that) were the airs, words, and actions of born slaveholders,” even though he was not born into a slave-owning family (Douglass