How Does Mark Twain Use Rhetorical Devices

Simile, metaphor, allusion, parallelism, repetition, and rhetorical questioning are rhetorical strategies used to support his

    The first literary devices that are to be discussed are diction and imagery. Diction is the vocabulary demonstrated by the author, and how the objective and subjective meaning of the words and phrases the author chooses to utilize help construct and expand the narrative. An example of diction used uniquely by the author can be seen in paragraph twelve of Marigolds when this sentence is used: “the idleness whose prospect had seemed so beautiful during the busy days of spring now had degenerated to an almost

Rhetorical devices are used in essays to persuade the readers into looking at situations in a different perspective or to boil up the reader’s emotions. In other cases, rhetorical devices are used to display one’s truth. The truths displayed in the essays being discussed have to do with unjustness of the Vietnam War.

Rhetorical devices are devices that are used to convey a meaning to the reader and create emotions through different types of language. Elie Wiesel uses rhetorical devices such as personification, metaphors, and rhetorical questions to emphasize and establish the theme of losing faith.

imagery, dialogue, and figurative language. Not only do these authors use this devices, they use

Rhetorical devices are elements embedded in a piece of work that allow the viewer to fully interpret and engage with the content presented. Rhetorical elements can be used universally through various mediums. In this essay I will be analyzing a photograph, specifically addressing the images logos, pathos, and Telos. The photograph frames your not so typical geriatric couple complete with skateboards and their flying birds. The caption of the photo is “This couple sticking it to the man”. This ironic photo packs a strong central message of living young wild and free. The unknown photographer develops the central message through the use of rhetorical deceives.

There are copious examples of literary devices in the novella, but only three will be discussed. The first and foremost common device was that of

Rhetorical devices are used to strengthen writing and add dimension. When used properly, they add layers of complexity to any prose as well as further evidence for an argument. No one understood this better than Upton Sinclair. Four strong rhetoric devices are periodicity, the Rule of Three, metaphor and rhetorical questions. Sinclair masterfully demonstrates these in a speech featured in his novel, The Jungle.

One writing that Mark Twain is not as famous for, but is still a well known piece of work for showing the use of humor in his writings is, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. This work starts off slow without much humor until later on in the writing. The humor picks up as Twain includes bits of sarcasm to the mix. The humor in this short work is not so hidden or subtle as it may have been in some of Twain’s other writings. One example of this sort of dry humor is, “And Smiley says, sorter indifferent like, ‘It might be a parrot, or it might be a canary, may be, but it an't it's only just a frog.’” (Jumping Frog). This shows a side and type of writing that is not usually seen with Twain. Usually the humor in his writings was always sort of hidden away and harder to pick out, but in this work, it is more obvious that he is trying to make it humorous. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” may not be as widely known as some of Twain’s other work, but it is a good example of how he includes humor into his writings to catch the reader’s attention and to provide some comic relief from, at times, tense situations.

Rhetorical devices are often turned to because of how effectively they are able to convey ideas--Henry, Paine, and Jefferson being prime users of them. Often times, these devices are used to make ideas clearer or to provide insights for the audience. These techniques allowed Henry, Paine, and Jefferson to illustrate their hatred towards the British and effectively influence their audience to feel the same. As a result, the audience is able to be easily manipulated by their impassioned appeals. Rhetorical devices such as antithesis and repetition are commonly utilized within their works in order to push their audience to formulate strong opinions against the British.

The usage of Rhetorical Devices is in everything one listens to, watches, and especially reads included by the author’s in order to capture the audience's attention. Uptown Sinclair is a well known literary writer that blossomed during the nineteenth century for the purpose to explain to society what wrong situation was occurring with the meat industry. Sinclair uses a wide variety of rhetoric in order to build a support system for his theme. If used well these devices strengthen and add more structure to any prose. A few of the many well known rhetorical devices that are used by Uptown Sinclair are; metaphors, similes, Rhetorical questions, Anadiplosis, personification, asyndeton, repetition, periodic sentences, and symbolism.

A great use of rhetorical devices was when Patrick Henry said, “The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!” Patrick is using exclamations in this way to show his audience his beliefs. Also, when he said, “Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish?

This passage helps to build the themes of power, love, and rebellion by the use of literary devices like diction, punctuation, repetition, foreshadowing, and simile.

The construction of the Titanic started on March 31, 1909 and finished on May 31, 1911. During the process, constructors made sure to make the Titanic as attractive as possible, accessorizing it with many iconic features such as the ship’s grand staircase and its promenade deck. Many people at the time believed that the Titanic would never sink, therefore naming it the “Unsinkable ship” after it has set sail. Unfortunately, the unsinkable ship collided with an iceberg on April 14, 1912, claiming the lives of 1,500 passengers. As a result, the Titanic broke into two and sunk, leaving behind its legacy. Thomas Hardy provides a poem that acknowledges the sinking of the Titanic. Unlike the many similar reactions of grief and sorrow that the people had, Hardy approaches the event differently. In the poem, "The Convergence of the Twain," Thomas Hardy uses a variety of rhetorical devices to express his disdain for the vanity of humans during the first half of the poem and to explain that fate’s work resulted in the outcome of the Titanic during the second half of the poem.

One stylistic technique that Mark Twain utilizes in his short stories is imagery. In “The Celebrated