高级英语Unit_2_Hiroshima_rhetorical devices

Unit 2 Hiroshima—the “Liveliest” City in Japan by Jacques Danvoir 1. Metaphor Examples in the text: 1) I had a lump in my throat 2) At last this intermezzo came to an end... 3) I was again crushed by the thought... 4) ...when the meaning ... sank in, jolting me... 2. Metonymy(借代、换喻) It is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept. For instance, "Washington", as the capital of the United States, can be used as a metonym(an instance of metonymy) for the United States government. It is a figure of speech that has to do with the substitution of the name of one thing for that of another. This substituted name may be an attribute of that other thing or be closely associated with it. In other words, it involves a “change of name”, the substituted name suggesting the thing meant. Examples: The pen is mightier than sword. Use your brains. Never let your heart rule your head. Examples from the text: 1) ...little old Japan adrift amid beige concrete skyscrapers ...struggle between kimono and the miniskirt 2) I thought that Hiroshima still felt the impact Metonymy can be derived from various sources: a. Names of persons: Uncle Sam: the USA 1 b. Animals: the bear: the Soviet Union the dragon: the Chinese (a fight between the bear and the dragon) c. Parts of the body: heart: feelings or emotions head, brain: wisdom, intelligence, reason gray hair: old age d. Professions: the bar: the legal profession the bench: position of judge or magistrate the veil: vocation of a nun the press: newspapers e. Location of government, of business or industrial enterprises Downing Street: the British government the White House: the American government Capitol Hill: the Legislative branch of US the Pentagon: the US military establishment Kremlin: the government of the former USSR Fleet Street: the British press Wall Street: US financial circles Madison Avenue: American ad. industry Hollywood: film-making industry of US 3. Euphemism: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest sth unpleasant. e.g: 1) He was sentenced to prison---He is now living at the government's expenses. 2) The boy is a bit slow for his age. 3) to go to heaven---dead 4) to go to the bathroom, do one's business, answer the nature's call, put an end to my life. 5) Each day of suffering that helps to free me from earthly cares. 4. Irony: People say the opposite of what they mean. For example, if the day has been terrible, you say, “Boy, this has been a great day!” Irony is more emphatic than a point-blank statement of the truth. It achieves its effect by reminding you of the opposite reality and this providing a scale by which to judge the resent reality. 1) Hiroshima---the Liveliest City in Japan 2) the good fortune that my illness has brought me 5. Anti-Climax: In rhetoric, a climax is a figure of speech in which words, phrases, or clauses are arranged in order of increasing importance. Climax, d eriving from the Greek word for “ladder”, implies the progression of thought at a uniform or almost uniform rate of significance or intensity, like the steps of a ladder ascending evenly. It is sometimes used with anadiplosis, which uses the repetition of a word or phrase in successive clauses. Examples of climax and anti-climax: I came, I saw, I conquered. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. (From Bacon, “Of Reading”) a. A decline viewed in disappointing contrast with a previous rise: the anticlimax of a brilliant career. b. something trivial or commonplace that concludes a series of significant events: After a week of dramatic negotiations, all that followed was anticlimax. c. A sudden descent in speaking or writing from the impressive or significant to the ludicrous or inconsequential, or an instance of it; 1) Alas!Alas!What shall I do? I've lost my wife and best hat, too! 哎呀哎呀!我怎么办呢?我失去了妻子,又丢了最好的帽子! 2) The duties of a soldier are to protect his country and peel potatoes. 士兵的职责是保卫祖国和剥土豆皮。 3) a town known throughout the world for its---oysters. (in the text) Climax: The point of greatest intensity or force in an ascending series or progression; a culmination. In rhetoric, it refers to: a. A series of statements or ideas in an ascending order of rhetorical force or intensity. b. The final statement in such a series. E.g.: 1)I came, I saw, I conquered.我来了,我看见了,我胜利了。 2)Social position, friends, reputation, life itself, had no longer any attraction for him. 社会地位、朋友、名誉、生活本身对他再没有什么吸引力了。 7. Rhetorical Question修辞性疑问句: a question to which no answer is expected, often used for rhetorical effect. E.g.: “Was I not at the scene of the crime?” 3) vivid description to make the report interesting.