1. Rhetorical Devices found in Black Boy

2. DEVICES: Find an example YOU UNDERSTAND of EACH Parallelism, Anaphora, Paradox, Antithesis, Rhetorical Question, Ellipsis

3. Parallelism
the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms as well as similar length

4. Parallelism
Structural arrangement of parts of a sentence, sentences, paragraphs, and larger units of composition by which one element of equal importance with another is similarly developed and phrased.
Coordinating ideas should have coordinating presentation; conversely, unequal elements should not be expressed in similar constructions

5. Grammatically Parallel
Not Parallel: From the white landowners above him there had not been handed to him a chance to learn the meaning of loyalty, sentiment, of having tradition.
Parallel: “From the white landowners above him there had not been handed to him a chance to learn the meaning of loyalty, of sentiment, of tradition.”
Not Parallel: To read Black Boy will teach people more about the African American experience than listening to rap music.
Parallel: Reading Black Boy will teach people more about the African American experience than listening to rap music.

6. Linking Ideas
Coordinating conjunctions: Richard’s mother tells the judge her husband has deserted his family and their children are hungry.
Ideas in a series: The boys were yelling, nursing their heads, and staring at Richard in disbelief.
Correlative conjunctions: Richard not only threatens to hit his father with a poker but also tells his companion that she ought to be dead.

7. Anaphora
the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines, sentences, phrases, or paragraphs

8. Anaphora
IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…
Charles Dickens,
A Tale of Two Cities

9. Paradox
using contradiction in a manner that oddly makes sense on a deeper level; common paradoxes seem to reveal a deeper truth through their contradictions, such as noting that “without laws, we can have no freedom”

10. Paradox
“You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without getting a job.”
“Things are simultaneously knowable and incomprehensible.”
“The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.”
“Somebody in his family had fought and died in every single American war…I guess you could say he had a lot to live up to.”
A statement that seems contradictory to common sense yet may, in fact, be true
“The coach considered this a good loss.”

11. Antithesis
a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced; a figure of speech characterized by contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideals (man proposes/God disposes); the balancing of one term against another for effectiveness (“wretches hang that jury men may dine…hungry judges soon the sentence sign”); balanced opposition

12. Antithesis
Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas; antithetical items are often next to one another in writing but do NOT have to be
Within a sentence:“…a noisy kind of peace can be found in the camaraderie of war.”
The direct opposite: Good vs. Evil; Rich vs. Poor
Opposing Characters: Ariel vs. Ursula; Scar vs. Mufasa

13. Rhetorical Question
(a.k.a. erotema) a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer; RQ’s often imply answers, but do not provide them explicitly

14. Rhetorical Question
American politicians still make use of this technique in debate, as evidenced by Senator Edward Kennedy's arguments before the senate concerning the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968:
How can the poor feel they have a stake in a system which says that the rich may have due process but the poor may not?

15. Hypophora
when a writer asks a question and immediately answers it; a figure of speech in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one's own question(s)

16. Ellipsis
(elliptical sentence) the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary for complete syntactical construction, but not necessary for understanding (“Some people prefer cats; others, dogs.”)
*one specific form of ellipsis that involves the dot-dot-dot (…) DOES NOT COUNT as a viable rhetorical device when used for editing or transitional purposes only

17. Ellipsis
An author might write, "The American soldiers killed eight civilians, and the French eight." The writer of the sentence has left out the word soldiers after French, and the word civilians after eight. However, both words are implied by the previous clause, so a reader has no trouble following the author's thought.

18. Sources:
Applied Practice in American Speeches Selections. Dallas, TX: Applied Practice, Ltd., 2000.
Wheeler, L. Kip. "Literary Vocabulary." Welcome to Dr. Wheeler's Website. 15 Aug Carson-Newman College. 18 Aug 2008 < er/lit_terms.html>.