Allegory And Rhetorical Strategies In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Rhetoric and Rhetorical Strategies
Allegory - a story in which characters or objects are symbols to create a moral, historical, or political meaning
Example: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is an allegory that comments on how dangerous traditions can be. One of the symbols in the story is a three-legged stool, which represents the Christian Holy Trinity
Allusion - A reference to a person, event, or thing that is thought to be common knowledge
Example: Guess who just met the new Einstein?
Analogy - similar to metaphors and similies with the comparison of two things, however analogies compare two things and then explain the parallels between the two to make a logical statement
Example: The smile on her face was like the sunrise on the hillcrest.

Anaphora - When words are repeated at the beginning of consecutive clauses to emphasize them
Example: I will not stand here and do nothing.

I will not witness this and say nothing. I will not be another passerby.
Anecdote - A story, usually personal, that relates to the topic at hand
Example: (When discussing if we should get a TV or not) "When I was a kid, my TV kept me in my room all day. Instead of using my free time to do something important, I just watched another episode of my favorite TV show. My childhood was incredibly boring because of this."
Aphorism - A clever saying that reveals some kind of truth or opinion
Example: The right thing to do is usually the hardest.
Apostrophe - When a character speaks aloud to an inanimate object, abstract idea, or a person who may not be there
Example: Oh Karma, you little devil.
Euphemism - a way of saying something in an indirect manner to avoid using a word or phrase that could be vulgar or harsh
Example: I'm sorry. Your mother passed away last night.

Hyperbole - an exaggeration of something in order to emphasize

it
Example: This backpack weights a million pounds!
Metaphor - comparing two unlike things without the use of like or as
Example: You are my whole world.
Metonymy - describing one thing using something closely linked
Example: North Korea needs to stop threating to bomb other countries. (North Korea refers to the government).
Paradox - a contradictory statement that may include some truth
Example: The truth is all a lie.
Rhetorical question - A question asked to emphasize something; no answer is needed
Example: Are you kidding me?
Synecdoche - Something is represented by a part or a part is represented by a whole
Example: We cannot trust him! He's a suit! (He's a businessman).
Understatement - presenting something as less important
Example: She is a little heavy. (She is 400 lbs).