Ap English Chapter 1 Vocabulary

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Aristotelian Triangle (Rhetorical Triangle)

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A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject in determining a text.

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Audience

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The listener, viewers, or reader of a text. (multiple per text)

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Concession

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An acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable. (usually accompanied by a refutation to challenge opposing argument)

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Connotation

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Meanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its dictionary definition, or denotation. (usually positive or negative depending on author's tone)

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Context

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The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.

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Counterargument

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An opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward. (strong writer will usually address this through concession and refutation)

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Ethos

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Character. Speakers appeal to this to demonstrate that they are credible and trustworthy to speak on a given topic. (established by who you are and what you say)

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Logos

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Embodied thought. Speakers appeal to this, or reason, by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up.

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Occasion

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The time and place a speech is given or a piece is written.

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Pathos

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Suffering or experience. Speakers appeal to this to emotionally motivate their audience. More specific appeals to this might play on the audience's values, desires, and hopes, on the one hand, or fears and prejudices, on the other.

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Persona

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Mask. The face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience.

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Polemic

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Hostile. An aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others. (generally do not concede that opposing opinions have any merit)

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Propaganda

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The spread of ideas and information to further a cause. In its negative sense, it is the use of rumors, lies, disinformation, and scare tactics in order to damage or promote a cause.

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Purpose

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The goal the speaker wants to achieve.

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Refutation

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A denial of the validity of an opposing argument. In order to sound reasonable, they often follow a concession that acknowledges that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable.

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Rhetoric

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(defined by Aristotle) "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." (the art of finding ways to persuade an audience)

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Rhetorical Appeals

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Rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling. (major appeals are ethos, pathos, and logos)

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SOAPS

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A mnemonic device that stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker. It is a handy way to remember the various elements that make up a rhetorical situation.

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Speaker

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The person or group who creates a text. (politician, speech/ commenter, article/ artist, political cartoon/ company, advertisement)

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Subject

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The topic of a text. (what the text is about)

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Text

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Generally means written word, but in the humanities it has come to mean any cultural product that can be "read"-meaning not just consumed and comprehended, but investigated. (includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, political cartoons, fine art, photography, performances, fashion, cultural trends, and much more)

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Rhetoric Surface Features

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Diction, syntax, imagery, and figurative language.