Presentation delivered to the English 104 class at Victor Valley College.

1. AdditionalTropes
English 104

2. Additional Tropes
Some other forms of figurative language used in arguments:
Hyperbole
Understatement
Antonomasia
Irony
Parallelism
Antithesis
Reversed structures

3. Hyperbole
The use of overstatement to make a point
Example:
“With page after page of bulging biceps and Gillette jaws,
robust hairlines and silken skin, Men’s Health is peddling a
standard of male beauty as unforgiving and unrealistic as the
female version sold by those dewy-eyed pre-teen waifs draped
across covers of Glamour and Elle.” – Michelle Cottle, ‘Turning
Boys into Girls’
Overstated descriptions of male and female beauty used to argue that
men’s magazines contribute to the same anxieties about appearance as
those that have afflicted women

4. Understatement
The use of a quiet message to make a point
Examples:
“The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s
advantage.” – Japanese Emperor Hirohito announcing the
surrender of Japan after WWII
“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have
a small problem. All four engines have stopped […] I trust you
are not in too much distress.” - Captain Eric Moody’s
announcement to the passengers of British Airways Flight 9
A subtle message used to downplay the severity of the situation and thus
attempt to reduce panic

5. Antonomasia
Substituting a proper name with a phrase or epithet
Examples:
“King of Pop” for Michael Jackson
Argues that Jackson is a great pop musician
“Iron Lady” for Margaret Thatcher
Argues that Thatcher is a strong-willed woman
“Caribou Barbie” for Sarah Palin
Argues that Palin is good-looking but empty-headed

6. Irony
The use of words to convey a meaning in opposition to their
literal meaning
Example:
The Onion (http://www.theonion.com/)
Uses satire to make a point about politics and pop culture.
Uses irony, exaggeration, humor, and ridicule to criticize politics and
contemporary issues.

7. Schemes
Schemes: figurative language based on word order
Parallelism – the use of grammatically similar phrases
Example: “Rosa sat so that Martin could walk. Martin walked so that Obama
could run. Obama ran so that our children could fly.” – Unknown
 Uses parallelism to argue in favor of Obama, saying that he has inspired a
new generation of African Americans
Antithesis – the use of parallel structures to indicate contrast
Example: “Those who kill people are called murderers; those who kill
animals, sportsmen.” – Unknown
 Uses antithesis to argue against the killing of animals

8. Schemes
Schemes: figurative language based on word order
Reversed structures – the use of a reversal of wording to make
a point
Example #1: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you
can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy
Uses reversed structure to encourage citizens to work for their
country
Example #2: “The Democrats won’t get elected unless things get worse,
and things won’t get worse until the Democrats get elected.” – Jeane
Kirkpatrick
Uses reversed structure to argue against the Democrats

9. Works Cited
Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith
Walters. Everything’s an Argument with Readings. 6th
ed.
New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.

10. Works Cited
Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith
Walters. Everything’s an Argument with Readings. 6th
ed.
New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.