Stylistic (Rhetorical) Devices
Stylistic (rhetorical) devices
Stylistic(or: rhetorical) devices are commonly used in all sorts of texts, both fictional and non-fictional, in written or spoken texts. They are far too numerous and diverse to be analysed in detail here, so this phrase sheet will be limited to a brief explanation of some of the most important stylistic devices.
Stylistic devices can be found where an author tries to stress (or: underline, emphasize) an idea or to make an impression on his readers by using language that is in some way extraordinary. The stylistic devices explained here operate on the level of choice of words or on the level of sentence construction.
I. Choice of words or phrases
I.1. Imagery
Imagery may be used in order to allow the reader to form a clear picture in his mind that represents an idea the author wants his reader to understand or accept. Imagery is often quite emotional, so it can also be used to express certain feelings or to evoke an emotional response in the reader.
The most common forms of imagery are:
a) metaphor: reduced comparison
ex.: “the eye of heaven“ for the sun
b) simile: explicit comparison
ex.: your eyes shine like the sun
c) symbol: concrete thing representing something abstract
ex.: : the rose as a symbol of love; the cross as a symbol of Christian religion
I.2. Sound of words
a) alliteration: repetition of the first sound in two or more words, at the beginning of the word
ex.: “Let us go forth and lead the land we love” John F. Kennedy
b) assonance: repetition of internal vowel sounds in neighbouring words
that do not end the same,
ex.: Sweet dreams are made of this ( Eurythmics)
c) onomatopoeia: sounds imitation the thing they refer to
ex.: The name cuckoo imitates the sound this bird makes.
II. Sentence construction
a) parallelism: the structure of successive sentences or phrases is the same
ex.: “This supernatural soliciting /
Cannot be ill; cannot be good.“
Shakespeare: Macbeth]
b) repetition: repeated use of particular sounds, syllables, words, phrases, sentences, etc., as a
means of structuring a text.
ex.: It is his only wish, his only ambition, the only plan he pursues.
c) anaphora: obvious repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences.
ex.: “Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down,
Though castles topple on their warders’ heads,
Though palaces and pyramids do slope...“
Shakespeare: Macbeth]
d) enumeration: A list of words, phrases or sub-clauses, usually employed to illustrate a
comprehensive phrase or term by listing some of the elements it describes.
ex.: “I grant him bloody, luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful...“ Shakespeare, Macbeth
e) climactic order: The enumeration may be in climactic order: The words that form the list start
with something less important, smaller or less exciting and progress to
something more important, bigger or more exciting. (leading to a climax)
ex.: “..businessmen who have lived five, ten, twenty years in America...“
W:A:Henry: Against a Confusion of Tongues
f) dialectical order: way of structuring a text by opening with the statement of an idea/action
(= thesis), following it by its opposite (= antithesis) and solving the conflict between the two in a
compromise (= synthesis). It is frequently used in argumentative texts.
g) contrast: bringing together of opposing views in order to emphasize their differences.
h) hyperbole (exaggeration): strong overstatement, often used with an amusing effect.
ex.: I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.
i) understatement: (litotes)statement that is deliberately weak, putting less emphasis or
importance on something than it deserves, often used as a form of irony.
ex.: “He was quite upset” instead of “He went into a terrible rage.”
j) euphemism: stylistic device used to hide the true nature of something unpleasant by expressing
it in a more pleasant, less direct way.
ex.: “He has passed away” instead of “He has died.”
III. Other stylistic devices
a) direct address: The author speaks directly to his reader – this device can often be recognized by the
second person pronoun you (not to be confused with the impersonal you – German man). Sometimes
the use of the first person plural pronoun can be interpreted as direct address, depending on the
context. The appeal to the reader may occasionally be intensified by the use of the imperative in
direct address.
b) rhetorical question: The author asks his reader a question, the answer to which is perfectly clear
anyway. So its function is not that of a real question – it is to lead or force the reader into agreeing
with the author’s views.
ex: Don’t we all love peace and hate war?
c) quotation: The quotation of experts, of public figures or from other texts serves to support the author’s
ideas and lend them a higher degree of acceptability.
d) allusion: The author does not quote directly from some other text –instead, he uses ideas, concepts,
and references from well-known texts or historical events in the hope that an educated reader will
recognize them and see them as support of the author’s own ideas. One of the most common
allusions is the biblical reference.
ex: The old man and the computer -> The old man and the sea (Hemmingway)
e) repetition of key words: An important idea or concept may be stressed by its repetition. The (fairly
simple) trick is that the reader cannot help but realize that something must be important if it is
mentioned often enough.
f) personification: A kind of metaphor in which animals, plants, inanimate objects or abstract
ideas are represented as if they were human beings and possessed human qualities.
ex: Necessity is the mother of invention. (Not macht erfinderisch)
g) paradox: a statement that seems to be self-contradictory (widersprüchlich) or opposed to
common sense. On closer examination it mostly reveals some truth. (adj. paradoxical [--`---])
ex.: It is awfully hard work doing nothing. (Oscar Wilde)
h) telling name: a name that conveys certain character traits.
ex.: Darth Vader (dark + death, invader) / Lord Voldemort (“flight of death”)
i) word pun: play on words that have the same (or similar) sound but different meaning.
There are a lot of puns in English because of its many homophones, i.e. words with the same
sound. Homophones lose their ambiguity as soon as they are written.
ex. At the drunkard’s funeral, four of his friends carried the bier.
(bier =Totenbahre vs. beer = Bier)
k) irony: saying the opposite of what you actually mean; motive: to express / stress the truth
ex: What lovely weather we are having. (looking out at a thunderstorm)
Useful vocabulary
Metaphors, …
At first glance one could think … (auf den ersten Blick)
On the literal level … (wörtliche Ebene)
Normally the word “…” denotes x but here ... (wörtlich bedeuten)
X evokes associations of ... (Assoziationen wecken)
X makes me think of / reminds me of … (an etwas denken lassen)
The use of x gives the impression that ... (den Eindruck erwecken)
X probably refers to ... (sich beziehen auf)
For me x implies that ... (andeuten, implizieren)
In my view x suggests / hints at ... (andeuten, denken lassen an)
Perhaps the writer has x in mind when ... (an etwas denken)
On the figurative/metaphorical level … (übertragene Ebene)
X might symbolize / be a symbol of ... (symbolisieren)
Maybe x stands for ... (stehen für)
This metaphor conveys a feeling of ... (vermitteln)
This metaphor could mean that ... (bedeuten)
This phrase is supposed to allude to ... (soll anspielen auf)
In my opinion this is an allusion to ... (Anspielung auf)
X has positive connotations. (Konnotationen)
This metaphor is rather ambiguous because ... (zwei-, mehrdeutig)
One might infer / conclude that … (schließen, folgern)
A plausible conclusion could be that … (plausible Schlussfolgerung)
effect / function:
to produce a particular effect
to emphasize / to add emphasis / to highlight / to stress a point / to underline
to create an amusing effect / vivid impression by making use of … in lines
to make one’s opinion /position / meaning clear to the reader
to make fun of / to ridicule
to draw attention to
to remind … of
to intensify
to support
to point out
to illustrate
to convey a certain idea
Trouble spot:
Most stylistic devices are used mainly as uncountable nouns:
The author uses alliteration / contrast /exaggeration / repetition….
(è used without an article)
Another case of alliteration can be found in line 3.
He uses hyperbole when describing / speaking of …
The auther’s use of repetition in lines 3f makes his attitude clear to the reader.
The exceptions are: allusion, metaphor, simile, symbol, rhetorical question and word pun.
(e.g. In line 5 there is a metaphor ….. illustrating …)
Stylistic Devices – Worksheet
1. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
2. He has suffocated (ersticken) the welfare state.
3. The countess (Gräfin) sailed across the room.
4. A pessimist is an optimist with experience.
5. “How is your seafood diet going?” – “Just great. I see food and eat it.”
6. Over the cobbles (Pflasterstein) he clattered and clashed.
7. Her light laughter lifted his soul.
8. He fought like a lion.
9. Three soldiers were killed by “friendly fire” (= by their own army)
10. Blankets and mattresses hung like tongues from the windows.
11. The massacres of the Indians have colored the history of the West an indelible (unauslöschlich) red.
12. The future seemed to them like a giant wave.
13. I’m having a tooth pulled out tomorrow – what a pleasant prospect!
14. The Indians were overwhelmed by the increasing tide of pioneers and settlers.
15. “Peace-maker” / “Daisy Cutter” (Gänseblümchenmäher) [names for missiles]
16. There are daggers (Dolche) in men’s smiles. (Shakespeare Macbeth)
17. If dreams die / Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
When dreams go / Life is a barren (unfruchtbar) field frozen with snow. (Langston Hughes)
18. The sword sang on the barren heath (Heide)
The sickle (Sichel) in the fruitful field.
The sword it sang a song of death
But could not make the sickle yield (nachgeben). (William Blake)
19. My Love is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June,
My Love is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune. (Robert Burns)
20. The snake was hissing secretive sounds.
21. They were not the captives of their own doubts.
22. Bees work endlessly to produce as much honey as they can. On my trip to China I got a similar impression. Chines people seem to be able to work without ever making a break.
23. After life’s fitful fever….
24. He cried out what he felt, he wrote down what he thought and he relied on what he saw.