begging of the question – The situation that results when a writer or speaker constructs an argument on an assumption that the audience does not accept.
Ex: This painting is horrible because it is obviously worthless.
claim – The ultimate conclusion, generalization, or point that a syllogism or enthymeme expresses. The point, backed up by support, of an argument.
Ex: In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck’s claim was that the poor are wrongly mistreated.
ethos-the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character’s action rather than his or her thought or emotion.
inductive reasoning –Reasoning the begins by citing a number of specific instances or examples and then shows how collectively they constitute a general principle.
Ex: This ice is cold. Thus, all ice is cold.
intention – The goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with the text.
Ex: One of John Steinbeck’s intentions in The Grapes of Wrath was to end humans’ inhumanity to fellow humans.
logos – The appeal of a text based on the logical structure of its argument or central ideas.
Ex: “If there really were such strong evidence of racial bias in the justice system it would be newsworthy. . .” (Taylor 6).
meiosis – Representation of a thing as less than it really is to compel greater esteem for it.
Ex: Calling an act of arson a prank.
pathos – The appeal of a text to the emotions or interests of the audience.
Ex: “. . . Helped feed a wave of national breast-beating over the unfairness of the juvenile justice system” (Taylor 1).
peroration – In ancient Roman oratory, the part of a speech in which the speaker would draw together the entire argument and include material designed to compel the audience to think or act in a way consonant with the central argument.
Ex: In Julius Caesar’s speech, the peroration came at the end.
rhetor – The speaker who uses elements of rhetoric effectively in oral or written text.
Ex: F. Scott Fitzgerald is the rhetor in The Great Gatsby.
syllogism – Logical reasoning from inarguable premises.
Ex: All mortals die. All humans are mortal. All humans die.
syntax – The order of words in a sentence.
Ex: “The dog ran” not “The ran dog.”
tone – The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject matter.
Ex: Light-hearted in the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.
verisimilitude – The quality of a text that reflects the truth of actual experience.
Ex: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon has medium verisimilitude.