Rhetorical devices

Allusions and direct references

Allusions are indirect references to people, events, literature, media, etc. that are relevant for an argument. The most relevant allusion in the article is in the title. The phrase “righteous anger” is a biblical allusion. The phrase appears in the Bible as the only type of anger that is legitimate in the eyes of God. The effect this allusion has on the article is that it gives it ethos (authority) and helps suggest the writer shares the opinions of the teens who survived the Parkland shooting.

Otherwise, the text is generally full of direct references. For example, Meyer mentions “Columbine” (l. 4) and “Sandy Hook” (l. 21) which were both school shootings that took place in the past. The references have the effect of reminding readers that mass school shootings have been a problem for a long time in the US.

Various social media platforms are mentioned in the article (ll. 35-38), direct references which show how teens’ political activism started on social media.

Direct references to older movies and TV shows (ll....