Rhetoric Terminology

Alliteration - When two or more syllables with the same sound group are repeated next to it.
Antistrophe - When the same words are repeated at the beginning and end of a sentence/phrase.
Archaism - When a phrase/sentence uses words/phrases that are considered to be old or outdated.
Catachresis - When words are either misused or used for rhetorical effect.
Hypallage - When the expected order of a phrase or sentence is reversed.
Litotes - An understatement.
Paradox - A statement which is seems contradictory but in reality expresses a possible truth.
Polysyndeton - When many conjunctions are used closely together.
Synchysis -  An alternating word sequence of the form A-B-A-B.
Anacoluthon - A construction involving a break in grammatical sequence, e.g. It makes me so - I just get angry.
Antithesis - The placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed to form a balanced contrast of ideas.
Assonance - the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in neighbouring words.
Chiasmus - A reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases, e.g., “He went to the country, to the town went she.”.
Hyperbaton - The use, especially for emphasis, of a word order other than the expected or usual one, e.g. “Bird thou never wert.”.
Metaphor - Referring to something as something else.
Paraprosdokian - A figure of speech with an abrupt twist or change at the end.
Praeteritio -Pretended omission for rhetorical effect.
Synecdoche - Understanding one thing with another; the use of a part for the whole, or the whole for the part.
Anadiplosis - The rhetorical repetition of one or several words; specifically, repetition of a word that ends one clause at the beginning of the next.
Aporia - Expression of doubt (often feigned) by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think, say, or do.
Asyndeton - Lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.
Climax - Arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power.
Hyperbole - Exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect.
Metonymy - Substitution of one word for another which it suggests, e.g. He is a man of the cloth.

The pen is mightier than the sword.

The Birthday Party: Harold Pinter

How does Pinter play with our expectations of conversations to show power in characters’ relationships?

 In the play ‘The Birthday Party’ by Harold Pinter, most of the conversations are slightly awkward and stiff, making them seem unnatural. But this does mean that it is easy to see which characters’ have power within relationship. For example, in the relationship between Meg and Petey, Petey’s short responses to Meg’s petty ramblings show that he has power in the relationship because he can quickly end conversations and doesn’t feel as though he has to carry on the conversation. Whereas Meg feels as though she has to carry on the conversation and tend to Petey all the time, showing she is weaker and without power in the relationship. Another example is the relationship between Goldberg and McCann. In the relationship, Goldberg talks a lot and extends his sentences so that he is talking for a longer time, symbolising that he has power over McCann as he talks the most. But this could also symbolise that he has less power as he may feel as though he has to talk for a long time every time he talk because if not he wouldn’t get to talk at all. Lastly, another example of power in a relationship is in the relationship between Stanley and Goldberg. In this relationship Goldberg shows power by interrogating Stanley and making their conversations awkward and uncomfortable.