American Rhetoric: Rhetorical Devices in Sound

Rhetorical Figures in Sound is a compendium of 200+ brief audio (mp3) clips illustrating 40 different figures of speech. Most of these figures were constructed, identified, and classified by Greek and Roman teachers of rhetoric in the Classical period. For each rhetorical device, definitions and examples, written and audio, are provided. Audio examples are taken from public speeches and sermons, movies, songs, lectures, oral interpretations of literature, and other media events. Some artifacts have been edited further to make the devices easier to detect. In the interest of diversity, I have included a range of voices and perspectives.

A webliography below indicates source material for the terms and their definitions.

Material in audio and streaming video formats requires a digital-audio player. If necessary, click on one of icons below for a free player.

Primary Sources: Terms & Definitions

Bullinger, E.W. (1968). Figures of speech used in the Bible. Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI.

Corbett, E.P. & Connors, R.J. (1999). Classical rhetoric for the modern student (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Harris, R. (2003). A handbook of rhetorical devices. Retrieved April 16 2003, from http://www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric.htm

Lanham, R.A. (1991). A handlist of rhetorical terms (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press.

Young, G. (2003). Silva rhetoricae. Retrieved April 16 2003, from Brigham Young University website: http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm

Audio References

http://www.audiobible.com

http://WavCentral.com

http://www.moviesounds.com

http://www.historychannel.com/

http://lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/audiofiles.html

http://www.ashbrook.org/events/lecture/

http://www.dailywav.com

http://www.earthstation1.com/

http://www.historyplace.com/

http://www.pbs.org/

http://www.loc.gov/

Alliteration	Allusion	Anadiplosis	Analogy
Anaphora	Anesis	Antimetabole	Antithesis
Aposiopesis	Appositio	Assonance	Asyndeton
Catachresis	Climax	Conduplicatio	Diacope
Distinctio	Enthymeme	Enumeratio	Epanalepsis
Epistrophe	Epitheton	Epizeuxis	Euphemismos
Exemplum	Expletive	Hyperbole	Hypophora
Metaphor	Oxymoron	Paradox	Parallelism
Personification	Polysyndeton	Rhetorical Question	Scesis Onomaton
Sententia	Simile	Symploce	Synecdoche

Rhetorical Figure of the Moment

Epistrophe: Figure of repetition that occurs when the last word or set of words in one sentence, clause, or phrase is repeated one or more times at the end of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases.

"In 1980, Reagan won Massachusetts by 2500 votes. There were over 100,000 students unregistered, over 50,00 Blacks, over 50,00 Hispanics. He won by 2500 -- Ted Kennedy's state: Rocks just layin' around. He won Illinois by 300,000 votes. 800,000 unregistered Blacks, 500,000 Hispanics: Rocks just layin' around. He won, in 1980, 3,000,000 high school students unregistered to vote. Now they're being registered to draft: Rocks just layin' around. 11,000,000 college students who could have chosen jobs over jails, peace over war -- they didn't vote. Now, they're cryin': Rocks just layin' around."

-- Jesse Jackson, Tindley Temple United Methodist Church

Flash Figures in Sound

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