Oftentimes when we read, we only pay attention to the story or the way it makes us feel. But did you ever consider that it's the author's unique ability to control the written language that creates the effect for the audience in the first place? Your tears, outrage, joy, or even frustration will rarely come from words alone--it's the storyteller behind the words who is making you feel that way.
TERM:
rhetoric- the art or craft of effectively speaking or writing to inform, motivate, or persuade. (mostly used in reference to persuasion)
Two rhetorical devices:
analogy: a comparison between two things that usually have similar qualities, structures, or patterns in order to explain or clarify an idea.
Note--an analogy is similar to similes/metaphors but there is a difference in when/how they are used. Analogies are usually used to help explain an idea, make something seem more logical, whereas a simile or metaphor is used more for poetic effect--it awakens the reader's imagination.
anecdote- a short narrative, usually personal, to help clarify or illustrate a point.
HW: Find a powerful or personally meaningful song, poem or speech, (either from real life or fiction). Find the most emotional, hard-hitting, or powerful section of that speech, a line or an entire verse (the actual length can be up to you, but please don't just select one or two words). Then, without changing the meaning of what is being said, rewrite the selection with the most boring, dry, uninspiring, and insipid (look it up) language.
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