In her bestselling memoir, Brother, I’m Dying, Edwidge Danticat recounts the true story of her family’s personal struggles both within the “promised land” of the United States and the politically corrupt and poverty ridden context of Haiti. This memoir is a story of oppression, life, death, family, and ultimately, hope. Primarily, it deals heavily with the topic of immigration, allowing the reader to view the hot topic through a different perspective. Throughout the story, Danticat uses a number of rhetorical devices to persuade her audience that the U.S. Immigration Services are extremely corrupt and unfair at times. Specifically, she does this through telling stories that build up Uncle Joseph’s good character, establishing a Christian theme that runs throughout the memoir, and by using restraint when explaining Uncle Joseph’s experiences with the U.S. Immigration Services.

Specifically in Part I of the memoir, Danticat paints a picture of Uncle Joseph that leads to the inescapable conclusion that any reasonable reader would reach: Uncle Joseph is undoubtedly an admirable, brave, and honest man. She tells various stories about him throughout that repeatedly prove how commendable he was. For instance, Danticat recounts Uncle Joseph’s experience of getting his tumor removed. She begins by remembering his voice as a child, stating, “As a child living in his house from the time I was four until I was twelve years old, I remember my uncle’s voice …show more content…
He told of a friend who'd had his back broken by a guard and was deported before he could get medical attention. Some detainees fought amongst themselves, sometimes nearly killing each other as uninterested guards looked on. They spoke of other guards who told them that they smelled, who taunted them while telling them that unlike the Cuban rafters, who were granted asylum, they would never be given asylum, that few Haitians ever get asylum.