Analyzing a paper
Songashin
sample.rtf
4
Rhetorical Techniques To Be Looked For
Allusion -- a reference (sometime direct, sometime indirect) to an historical occurrence, work of art, or a well-known character of person – “I can’t spin that kind of web because I am not Spiderman.”
Amplification -- repeats a word or a phrase for accentuation or emphasis – “Love, real and true love, takes its time.”
Epistrophe-- the repetition of words at the end of successive sentences to achieve a kind of hammering insistence, such as; “Where now? Who now? When now?” (from Samuel Beckett, “The Unnameable”)
Hyperbole -- an exaggeration that isn’t generally taken at literal face value – “I have performed that task a million times.”
Analogy – a comparison between two different items sharing some kind of common attribute—“He’s as flaky as dandruff in a snowstorm.”
Accumulation (from the Latin word for “pile-up”)—heaps on information (usually with similar phrasing) to overwhelm the reader-- “I’m a multi-cultural, post-modern man, uplinked and downloaded, inputted and outsourced for the upside of downsizing and to prevent the downside of upgrading.” (from George Carlin’s comedy act.
Parallelism -- uses words or phrases with a similar structure – “I went to the store, parked the car and bought a pizza.”
Antanagoge -- places a criticism and compliment together to lessen the impact – “The car is not pretty but it runs great.”
Ad hominem (Latin for“against the man”)—attacks another commentator personally insread of criticizing his argument or point-of-view: “How can you argue your case for vegetarianism when you are enjoying your steak?”
Anthropomorphism--a literary device in which a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions to non-human objects—“The raging storm brought with it howling winds and fierce lightning as the residents of the village looked up at the angry skies in alarm.”
Devil’s Advocacy—the deliberate taking-on off an unpopular point of view to provoke discussion—“Perhaps sexists do have a point when they say women are too sentimental to…”
Audience presumption-- when Mark Greif begins a sentence with “We leave the office…,” what kind of readership is he presuming to be addressing?
Insensitive analogy: Why is Gold’s Gym calling itself the “mecca” of bodybuilding potentially rather offensive?
Sloganeering—reducing complex issues to handy catch-phrases-- why is Nike’s “Just Do It” a potentially dangerous motto?
Wordplay --can we imagine a pun between the words “exercise” and “exorcise”? How is physical exercise at the gym a figurative way to exorcise one’s inner demons?
Oxymoron- the use of seemingly clashing or paradoxical tones or statements that appear to contract each other.
Onomatopoeia—in which a word (or words) resemble the thing it (or they) resemble—either a single word like “splash” or “clatter” or a phrase like “some sinister, secret sin.”
Alliteration and Assonance—a cluster of words that begin with the same sound, either consonants (“as deeply dire and dreadful as a devil’s dandruff”) or vowels (“as ethereal and admirable as an angel’s evaporation”)
Persona (which basically means “mask” in Greek)—the fictional role that even historical journalists event for themselves through how they occupy their point of view. How does Hunter S. Thompson beginning a piece with “We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold…” establish a certain kind of persona?
Circumlocution (from the Latin “to talk around”)—using many words to make a point that could be made in fewer words—Alan Greenspan’s “the ratio of the number of years that the typical worker will spend in retirement to the number of years he or she works will rise in the long term” means “people live longer.”
Rhetorical question – inquiries that might not expect answers, but do suggest or imply them. What is the implied answer to the Fats Waller song title “What Did I Do To Be So Black and Blue?”
Permissible prejudice--“Testosterone poisoning” is a common phrase by now, aimed at males suffering from excessive machismo. Why can’t we get away with accusing women of “estrogen overload” or something of the sort?
Euphemism, Dysphemism (from the Greek “good-sounding” and “bad-sounding)—using “sanitational engineer” in place of “trashman” (euphemism) or, conversely, “coffin nail” for “cigarette” (dysphemism).
Begging the question—making an assertion but assuming the truth of one’s conclusion without proving it, like “the reason there’s such a big demand is that everyone wants one” or “the growing use of satellite navigation means we’re losing our map-reading skills.”
Foreshadowing (or “prefiguring”)—dropping hints early in an argument that will be more explicitly asserted as the argument moves ahead, such as Mona Eltahawy’s “I am a Muslim, I am a feminist,” which foreshadows her assertion that these two “parts” of her identity are in no way self-contradictory.
Tautology—an assertion that is circular in its logic, like “Socrates is either mortal, or he isn’t,” or the Beatles’ “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.”
Tone (and/or Diction)—how does the author make certain vocabulary choices to weave together a persona made out of words? Clearly “big deal” achieves a different tone than “social crisis,” just as a “blow-up” is different (in tone) from an “emotional overexcitement.”
Truisms (also known as platitudes or clichés or bromides)—“Naturally, women are more nurturing than men” is an unexamined truism and cannot be asserted without supporting evidence or logic.
Concession—acknowledging (at least temporarily) the validity of an opposing perspective, such as “While this venture may be unsafe and expensive, in the long run…”
Ambiguity—a word or phrase that can potentially can more than one meaning—in Groucho Marx’s “I shot an elephant in my pajamas,” it isn’t grammatically clear who was wearing Groucho’s pajamas at the time of the shooting.
“Identifying Rhetorical Techniques”
Sample Passage
This essay will argue that Jonathan Rauch’s article “In Defense of Prejudice” is actually a manipulative piece of rhetoric trying to convince its readership that “anti-prejudice” the new prejudice (in Rauch’s own turn of phrase). This paper will look at the opening words of Rauch’s paragraphs to show how his argument moves along and tries to remove opposition to his point of view.
Rauch’s article opens with the phrase “The war on prejudice…” as if some sort of official sort were taking place, but of course many Americans are fighting just as fiercely to maintain their own prejudices in factory work-floors and barrooms across the country. Rauch’s belief that the fight against prejudice is universal and “uncontroversial” may show that his own exposure to such prejudice is somewhat limited. By claiming that opposition to bigotry is a universal “war,” Rauch is trying to enlist we his readership as soldiers in the counter-battle he is declaring.
Rauch’s second paragraph begins “In universities and on Capitol Hill,” which are two fairly elite places and which limits the territory of his investigation. As well, a “university” seems to imply a singular, “universal,” one-way perspective and “Capitol Hill,” set up high on its perch, is a place that dictates legislation to the rest of the nation. By focusing on these two sites of power, Rauch may deliberately be ignoring those other, less high-profile places where racial and sexual prejudice flourish most fiercely.
A third paragraph opens with the polite and evasive phrase “I suppose I should say,” but of course most prejudice is hardly so polite. Rauch’s phrasing here suggests a man willing to make exceptions and apologies, which is a rhetorical technique for gaining the trust of his readership. His next paragraph starts off with “Indeed, ‘eradicating prejudice’ is so vague a proposition…,” trying to establish our agreement with an “Indeed” (which, like “of course,” assumes that we are on board with his claim) and placing the phrase “eradicating prejudice” in quotation marks as if to mock the very idea as impossible and unrealistic. The next paragraph begins with a question (“Who is right?”), but even this question is a bit of mockery, since part of Rauch’s own point is that no one is absolutely right in the debate over prejudice and its free expression.
The next paragraph’s opening phrase, “What they told us in high school…” assumes that we were all indoctrinated with the exact same information in our formative years, and therefore all require the cure or antidote that Rauch’s counter-information offers. “Many people, I think…” (the beginning of paragraph seven) softens this claim somewhat (“many” instead of “all,” “I think” instead of “I know”), but Rauch is still aiming to keep the vast majority of us on his side with this comment.
Close Reading Sandra Cisneros
Sandra Cisneros’ piece “My Name” seems to argue that one’s given moniker is both a blessing and a burden, something to identify with and yet something that limits one.
Cisneros’ title is plain and undecorated, a simple possessive word and a simple noun, but the word “My” implies that the title applies to us all (since we are all “me”’s) and that true namelessness is a condition that no one living within the bounds of legal society is allowed to suffer.
Her opening words, “In English,” causes us to presume that the narrator is addressing an English-speaking audience but herself derives from some different linguistic culture. She tells us her name means “hope,” but in Spanish “Esperanza” refers to a special kind of hope that involves waiting. The word “hope” is striking in the first sentence of the passage, as it sets an optimistic tone.
The speaker seems to apologize for the length of her name in the next sentence, knowing that Spanish words tend to be longer and more flowing compared to their blunter, more direct counterparts in English. Instead of using “Esperanza,” with its five syllables, as her title, Cisneros gives us “My Name”—with its two short, choppy monosyllables—perhaps to make things more manageable. The “In English” that opens the passage is balanced by an “In Spanish” that opens her second phrase, as she piles on descriptive details.
The “sadness” Cisneros mentions suggests a kind of incompleteness. By the middle of the second line she has already used the word “means” four times—perhaps punning on “mean” as an adjective meaning cruel and insensitive. In fact, “Esperanza” refers not to hope in general, but to hope that is born out of conflict and struggle. She also makes a humorous reference equating her name to the number nine, which is suitable and fitting because her name contains nine letters. Nine is also the last of our single-digit numerals before the evolution into double-digit numbers, and so perhaps ties into the idea of a hope for change.
The sentence fragment “A muddy name” lacks a verb, and implies several different things. Mud is an in-between substance, not quite solid and not quite fluid, just as hope is an in-between emotion at times, not quite knowing and yet not defeated. Mud was also a substance that early Mexican cultures used to build and spackle together their traditional pueblo dwellings, and so is a useful (if not especially “elegant”) material. Muddiness could also refer to a lack of clarity or a compromised situation, as in the idiom “in muddy water.” Perhaps on an artistic level, Cisneros is also risking producing a “muddy” piece of writing by smearing together too many descriptive details in too short a passage.
The mention of “records” played by her father reiterates the sadness theme, and also refers to an older technology. One might wonder whether these records are only played on Sundays (as mentioned)—if so, this would be a repetitive ritual that is also circular. Records spin around in a circle, thus reinforcing Esperanza’s hope that things will turn her way, but also perhaps underscoring the frustrating manner in which some hopes seem to rotate endlessly and never meet their goal. These records being played on Sunday “mornings” also hints at a preparation for another kind of ritual like Mass or some similar form of worship. Shaving involves looking at oneself in a mirror and purifying oneself while shedding old skin cells, in a kind of rebirth.
Beginning a new paragraph with the phrase “It was my great-grandmother’s name and now it is mine” continues to over-use the neutral, secretive “it,” but also implies a long stretch of tradition and handing-down. When the speaker refers to a “Chinese lie” (which she also regards also as a Mexican lie), she suggests that not every act of tradition is honorable and strengthening, since the male claim that women should not be strong is traditional and problematic at the same time.
To be a “horse woman” is to be skillful athlete able to direct one’s chosen vehicle, a talent that would presumable invigorate one’s hope. Still, to a more pessimistic reading, “horse woman” can be read as a woman reduced to a domesticated beast of burden like a mule or a donkey.
Because of a certain overlap between the words for “me” and “my” in Spanish, saying “My great-grandmother” in a sentence fragment all by itself could also be implying that Esperanza is her own ancestor, or at least relates so closely with her that she shares in her identity.
Rhetorical Techniques in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”
While themes like Concealment and Secrecy are clearly very important to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “The Minister’s Black Veil,” this paper will argue that the motifs of Doubleness and Split-ness are equally important, as the tale examines a man whose persona has been cut in half and turned against itself. The story makes a very definite split between the veil and the face, and if the veil is the universal tendency that humans have to withhold shameful secrets from one another, in an ironic way this fact is not a secret but an obvious, universal characteristic.
The opening scene shows us a congregation walking on their way to Sunday services and yet noticing the prettiness of the maids among them, as if split in half between their duty to God and their delight in human pleasures. A sunny, beautiful day would also potentially hide these people’s secrets behind the glare of light all around. The symbol of the bell at the end of the first paragraph also hold a double meaning—bells call congregations together but also (when used for a funeral service) signal departure and leaving.
When Elizabeth accuses her fiancée Parson Hooper of the negative effects his veil is having on everyone, she says “The world” is horrified by his behavior and not merely “his congregation.” Perhaps she refers to the entire World because Hooper’s uniform as a minister would come with universal expectations, and his odd appearance would cause him to be treated like an alien split off from the rest of humanity.
Hawthorne is careful to point out that this veil only covers half of the minister’s face, and yet it has the full-bodied power to cast its influence like a shadow and transform his whole character. The veil literally splits his face in half, covering the top and leaving the lower half exposed. This mask has a double effect—not only on his visual appearance but on the “tone” of his voice when delivering sermons, his voice presumably being issued from a deeper, more intimate part of himself than merely his face.
Even the emotion that the veil causes Hooper himself is a double issue. On one end, he is happy that this “material emblem” can separate him from the majority of humankind, but on the other end of this emotional spectrum he is saddened at the alienation the veil inflicts on his connection to his fiancé Elizabeth. Even while feeling this split in emotions, Hooper keeps up his holy duties by overseeing weddings and funerals, or beginnings and ends. It is also ironic that these two rituals are the most public and popular events in which people put on veils to show sadness or humility.
The odd appearance of the veil elevates Hooper to an unapproachable status and makes him as invisible as paternal father behind the clouds. Doubleness also comes into play, however, when we consider the double standard at work when society promotes individuality and yet condemns “too much” eccentricity. The accusation of Hooper losing his mind comes from a character named “Goodman Gray,” perhaps because the “merely” good citizens of Milford are in a gray area that the “black”-wearing Minister is trying to avoid.
Even Parson Hooper’s name is ironic, as a hoop tries to contain everything within a circle and not leave anything out (just like the veil does), and yet the veil itself causes a split between the parson and his congregation.
Argumentative Techniques: Finding a Thesis and Topic Sentences for Linda Hogan’s “Dwellings”
Thesis: We often think of homes as being solid, stable, motionless things, but Linda Hogan’s article “Dwellings” show us that the places we inhabit are always moving and flowing and changing as well. My essay will analyze Hogan’s piece and show how it uses images pulled from the never-ending changes of Nature itself to demonstrate that our homes are never as simple and as stationary as we sometimes believe.
Topic Sentence: In Hogan’s opening sentence, action verbs like “cut” and “moving” reinforce her emphasis on homes as products of action, and her image of bees dwelling in a “broken wall” implies that even a home that is given up by one species can be taken up by other creatures.
Topic Sentence: Perhaps Hogan chooses a “delicate” animal like a bee to show just how important a home is to a fragile, vulnerable being. While humans might not be as fragile as bees anatomically, we are prone to larger shifts in emotional perspective than most animals.
Topic Sentence: In her third paragraph, Hogan focuses on the underground water flowing beneath one of her homes—water of course has long served as a symbol for the transformation and fluidity of nature. In the same way that water takes the shape of the cup it is poured into, inhabitants take on the shape of the home they dwell in.
Topic Sentence: Hogan also discusses how houses made from the trees of a single forest were once thought to be more “harmonious” and peaceful, but as human beings we know that being from the same place is not a guarantee of agreement. People change just like their homes do, and these shifts are one of the prices we pay for living in a universe that is never completely stable.
Topic Sentence: Hogan uses the image of barn swallows as a metaphor for human beings returning home with loudness and commotion that quickly turns to quietness. The author also refers to “fire” here to show that behind the appearance of harmony, there is an element of wildness that is hard to manage. Hogan likewise refers to the way that the elements (like water and fire and earth) contain one another, in the same way that our bodies (which dwell inside of houses) are themselves dwellings for microscopic organisms like germs.
Topic Sentence: Hogan goes on to show that houses that are neglected and abandoned fall apart quite quickly. This shows that a house’s so-called “stability” depends on the action inside of it. This can also imply that people cannot afford to be neglected or else they will fall apart. Further, there is an interdependence—just as humans need homes to feel whole, houses need humans to be healthy.
Topic Sentence: The striking image of a bird’s nest made from threads of Hogan’s skirt and strands of her daughter’s combed-out hair shows a sense of recycling from the past. Her human trash forms the treasured materials that the bird’s “round” nest is built from. It is also appropriate that Hogan focuses on hair and clothing, since in a way these things are the roof and walls of our portable “homes” that we walk around in.
Topic Sentence: Hogan refers to the same hill in both her opening and closing paragraphs, which makes a circle out of her entire essay. She also focuses on the “sloped” roof of her own home--we tend to associate a slope with something gradual and indeed the line between our home and other homes is always soft and fuzzy and never hard and firm. She mentions several plants and animals in her last few sentences to show a link and unity between human reality and the rest of nature. Even when humans sleep (and temporarily forget where they live), night creatures come out and stake out their own territory.
Argumentative Techniques: Finding a Thesis and Topic Sentences for Linda Hogan’s “Dwellings” Take 2
Thesis Statement: Linda Hogan’s essay “Dwellings” uses an action verb to refer to the places in which people (and other animals) live, perhaps to emphasize homes as active, dynamic places that change and grow as opposed to stable, permanent, unchanging things.
Topic Sentence 1: Hogan chooses bees as a primary symbol in her opening paragraph, maybe because bees are interactive and adaptive animals who often change their habitat based on weather and manufacture honey that needs to be accomplished as a group.
Topic Sentence 2: Hogan also refers to dead bees, as dwellings are not only for the living but also the deceased—what was once a hive is now a tomb. The phrase “architecture of memory” also expands the definition of what a dwelling can be—we live inside of emotions as well as inside of physical structures.
Topic Sentence 4: The word “felled” refers to houses made up of chopped-down trees, which is important for Hogan’s thesis of transformation since it emphasizes a tree going from an upright dwelling for birds and squirrels to a board-composed house for humans.
Topic Sentence 5: The words “dwelling” and “swallow” share a double “ll” but also share the ability to be used as both nouns and verbs. Our bodies is our portable dwellingx and require that we “swallow” and eat in order to live. This paragraph also emphasizes the four elements of fire, earth, air and water, four forms of matter that have the ability to transform into each other through processes like evaporation and burning.
Topic Sentence 5: Hogan personifies houses by describing how they fall apart and grow depressed when they aren’t used. This puts a negative spin on her topic of change by showing how some change is for the tragic.
Topic Sentence 6: Hogan then dives into the notion that all life is interconnected by describing how a bird’s nest is composed of threads from her skirt and hairs from her daughter’s head. She describes this nest as “round,” “delicate,” and “woven”—caught up in the cycle of life and yet also fragile and vulnerable.
Topic Sentence 7: The final verb of Hogan’s essay is “holding,” as she claims that the earth itself as it orbits through the night sky is one big home that cannot be (and should not be) escaped.
