...In David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech, This Is Water, argues that a person has the choice to think critically and should exercise that every day. With the help of intensive and obvious analogies he is able to connect with the audience to a whole another level. He establishes that he is not a wiser person, and that even though he has authority he won’t just tell them what to do. So he starts of by stating his flaws to appeal to others that he is also human and that the purpose of higher education was to teach you how to think. Foster uses logical and emotional appeals to discuss the importance of critical thinking. Wallace believes that we are so close minded that all our attention and thinking is constantly about us instead of others....
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...In David Foster Wallace’s graduation speech, “This is Water”, presented to Kenyan College graduating class of 2005, Wallace influences the class to view the world as a whole rather than independently. Wallace opposes that we should not feel as though the world spins around just our needs additionally the needs of others however he makes a point to express that everybody has a decision of how to view the world. His argument is clear however but not accepted by most. Through his personal experiences and examples he gave in the speech every one of his parables conveys a different message. His credibility lies within freedom of choice he wants his audience to have the choice to make decisions that will positively affect them. Wallace discusses...
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...The speech “This is Water” was given by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College as a commencement speech for the class of 2005. This short summary will discuss the rhetoric Wallace introduces in his speech and whether or not it is successful. Although the traditional rhetoric style of commencements speeches is optimistic in their nature and hopeful in their message, Wallace explores the harsh and mundane realities of everyday life through symbolic narratives and metaphoric stories about fishes, suicide and your daily grocery store run. Wallace´s tendency to use narratives to illustrate his message builds up his pathos and credibility as a “wise old man”, which he contradicts with a laid back and informal language to encourage the younger audience...
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...from the walls of the house and the fencing of the compound. It runs around the compound in a circular shape. It is wonderful. The spreading short grass and the surrounding of the flowers makes the compound look like a football playing ground from a distance. Alongside the fencing of the compound, there are trees planted and well shaped to depict the shape of an umbrella. The trees provide shade during sunny days and hence this makes the compound highly cozy for anyone who would want to use the leisure relaxing within the compound. However, the trees planted to provide shade shed their leaves during dry spells to conserve water. Water running through the compound makes them rot making the compound become stinky. At times if the compound is not cleaned regularly during dry spells, it looks filthy due to the numerous leaves that are shed by the trees and spread over the compound by the running wind that usually characterize dry seasons. This steals away the beauty of this compound and hence making it less cozy during dry seasons. Part 2: rhetorical analysis The two paragraphs in part one above shows contrasting impressions about my compound. The impressions are contrasting in that in the first paragraph the compound seems so cozy to rest in whereas in the other paragraph the compound is stinky and filthy making it unsuitable for...
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...“The Rhetorical Analysis of Gary Soto Essay” In his autobiographical narrative, Gary Soto recreates an experience with his guilty six-year-old self. Ultimately, he shares a story with his audience about how his younger self lost his innocence through stealing a pie. Through the effective use of rhetorical devices, Gary Soto achieves his purpose. Pacing was one of the most useful rhetorical strategies used in his essay. In the beginning of the narrative, a slow pace was implied as Soto explained his “boredom” as he sat “underneath the house… looking for something to do”. He then felt anxious as the “juice of guilt” began to “[wet his] underarms” while he tried to decide which pie to steal. The pace drops to a moderate level after Soto is relieved that he was able to steal the pie and “no one saw” him do so. Soto’s relief was short lived as he went into a panic assuming that his neighbors were...
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...political movements containing discourses could be listed under this category of decisions. It`s been a long while since public speakers are concerned with various dimensions of speech such as sounds, gestures, syntax, rhetoric, meanings, speech acts, moves, strategies and turns. In this paper our main focus is on the rhetoric of a speech. As we know where rhetoric is concerned we should inevitably deal with literature. In other words rhetoric is like a joint which connect literature with politics and establish a method of analyzing political speeches called polio-linguistic approach. Thus we can consider political discourses as pieces of literature. Literary techniques especially rhetorical devices serve as one of the most distinctive features of the greatest and most influential speeches of all time. There is no shortage of rhetorical devices used in these speeches, but we can prioritize them by count of repetitions in political discourses. In this study first I have represented the necessity of using these types of persuasive skills in political discourses, the methods within which politicians take advantages of these skills and the different sides of a successful speech. Then after a glance through different rhetorical devices, excerpts from four of the greatest speeches in history are provided with the rhetorical devices indicated in them. Finally a quite deep examination of the most important of these rhetorical devices is presented and the conclusion is made through comparing...
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...Lobster Festival and its huge crowd of over 80,000 people that consume over 25,000 pounds of lobster during the 5 days that the festival lasts. He starts off the essay with admiration in his tone as he describes the Maine Lobster Festival to his readers. After he’s done praising the festival, Wallace reveals that his main intention of writing the essay was to question if killing animals is morally acceptable. He explains that Lobsters have nociceptors, invertebrate versions of the prostaglandins and major neurotransmitters that enable human beings to record pain. Lobsters, however, do not appear to be able to absorb natural opioids like endorphins and enkephalins which are what advanced nervous systems use to deal with pain. Wallace examines this information about lobsters and recognizes that lobster either suffer more than a human would because they can’t control pain as well as humans can or they simply can’t comprehend the idea of pain. Wallace sympathizes that if lobsters can’t control their pain, then humans are unnecessarily boiling and eating them, as a result, putting them through immense suffering that humans wouldn’t want to experience themselves. Wallace, however also compares them to frontal lobotomy patients. These patients experience physical pain but perceive it in a different way. They do not necessarily hate or like pain. They feel neutral about it. As if the idea of pain doesn’t exist to them. While some would argue that if lobsters feel neutrally towards pain, they...
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...Akil Hodge 9-17-10 2nd / U.S. Lit. Analysis: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God The Great Awakening was a religious movement that shocked the world and brought unbelieving people into the life of a Christian. Jonathan Edwards was a powerful, influential figure in this movement and was known for his visual sermons. His method of preaching was using fear to frighten people to convert. One of his most powerful sermons, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, used many rhetorical strategies to persuade his unsaved audience to become saved to avoid the torment of hell. One productive approach that was substantial in scaring the unsaved people in the audience is through the use of imagery. Imagery is the usage of words to make an image in the mind of the listener(s); with which Edwards uses adequately to defend his reason. In his case, he utilizes this technique to penetrate the hearts and minds to everyone present. This strategy terrifies his listeners into following his directions and method of redemption. “There are black clouds of God’s wrath now hanging directly over your heads” is an excellent example of imagery because it displays an image of hater from God. Metaphors are applied often in this distinctive speech about God and his anger. This figure of speech spans over the whole account through all paragraphs and is a very unique way of influence. I feel that “The bow of God’s wrath is dent” presents the meaning of the word metaphor, which is the using of words...
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...criticism holistically. To practice the skills of a rhetorical critic. To teach someone about how this particular, significant message works. As a critic, you will closely examine the message, analyze it, and develop some insight about how it functions. This insight will become the claim that controls your essay. Remember, what you write is the report (product) of your thinking and insights discovered. To get to that point, you must engage in four kinds of critical thinking: description, analysis, interpretation and evaluation (process). You will select, edit, and organize portions of all your thinking in each of these areas in order to teach the reader how the message works. So, your in-class paper will reflect these kinds of thinking, but the paper will be an integrated whole rather than a list or string of critical activities. Assume you have a reader who does not know what you are doing, why or how. Thus, you must define terms and elaborate on your ideas, showing the reader how your ideas relate to one another. Listed below are the specific criteria (rubric) by which the essay will be graded: 1) The essay contains an introduction that describes the context of the message and characterizes the message. (10 pts) 2) The critic states a reasonable, arguable claim about how the message works. The claim must go beyond what any average reader could conclude after encountering the message and feature the rhetorical dynamics discovered in the message. (20 pts) ...
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...Analysis of John Keats John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic Movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death. During his life, his poems were not generally well received by critics; however, after his death, his reputation grew to the extent that by the end of the 19th century he had become one of the most beloved of all English poets. He has had a significant influence on a diverse range of later poets and writers. Jorge Luis Borges, for instance, stated that his first encounter with Keats was the most significant literary experience of his life. Keats’ poetry is characterized by sensual imagery, most notably in the series of odes. Today his poems and letters are some of the most popular and analyzed in English literature. John Keats suffered many hardships losing his family to tuberculosis, orphaned as a child and was “mastered and enslaved by a pining, degrading lovesickness” (Brown) for a woman named Fanny Brawne, whom he was never able to wed. However with all his trials and tribulations he was very passionate about his poetry; the rich, sensuous way in which he wrote demonstrates it in poems such as “Bright Star” and “To Autumn”. “Bright Star” by John Keats, expresses the poet’s desire to be like a star. In the poem the tone is melancholic while the theme is the desire to live in an unchanging state...
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...Syntax AP English Language and Composition What is syntax? SYNTAX The term syntax refers not only to the structure of sentences, their types, their uses, their connection, and the variations authors choose, but also to smaller structures within sentences. Phrases (any group of words) and clauses (groups of words that contain a subject and a verb) are also syntactic elements that require a reader’s attention. Syntax affects the pace of a piece. • Short, clipped phrases, sentences and clauses tend to create a feeling of quickness, decisiveness, and speed to a piece. It is important to be aware of the content of a piece and look for connections to syntax. Pay attention to how pacing relates to the action and purpose of a particular piece. • Long, convoluted sentences, especially with subordinate clauses at the beginning tend to slow the pace of a piece. Often they are connected to a contemplative section, a heavy or serious subject and the writer wants to emphasize it. Sometimes, however, they are placed in a piece for the purpose of demonstrating the ramblings of a character, the ludicrousness of an idea, or the ridiculousness of a situation. Watch for occasional satire or irony in these long sentences. Key Questions: • How does syntax contribute to and enhance the meaning and effect of language? • How does syntax contribute to tone? 1. “Syntax” refers to the ways words and phrases are arranged to form sentences. The reader must identify...
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...is poor, and I over think what is wanted from what I write. Struggling with this introduction, for instance, is one of my major weaknesses. A lot more work goes into it than there seems. I have to think “Did I capture the attention? Does my audience know where I’m going with this paper? Is it enough to make them curious to read more?” In the beginning of the semester, my introduction basically went straight into the paper like it was the first body paragraph. It was a confusing surprise. I’ve since worked on my introductions so they give more explanation toward the overall reason for the paper. Even if it’s not the best you’ve ever read, I’m more aware of why it’s not and that there are ways to strengthen it. I’d like to believe because of how self-aware I...
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...Final Rhetorical Analysis Martin Luther King, Jr. Was an African American, nonviolent, civil rights activist and leader from 1956 until his tragic passing in 1986. On August 28, 1963 King proudly presented his well-known “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, one hundred years after former President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation as well as delivered his prominent speech, the Gettysburg Address. King’s purpose of his speech was an intended aspiration to aim at the white population to advocate for the justices of African Americans as well as to encourage the nation to not stand alone but together for the rights appointed to each citizen under the Constitution. King accomplishes his ambition for his speech as he uses different rhetorical devices with his audience such as: ethos, logos, and pathos, as well as using several different figurative language techniques that include, allusion, anaphora, diction, and metaphors. King begins his speech contended and determined, as he explains this specific day will be one remembered forever. His use of archaic...
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...Some do not know this, but Maine's central trade is not lobsters, for that precise reason, Maine is known as "vacationland" and lobsters accumulate travelers. So in the late spring of 2003, Gourmet Magazine sent the essayist David Foster Wallace to examine the ground zero of lobsters, the Maine Lobster Festival, MLF, in the heart of the mid coast area (wallace). One would envision the article would be a paean to lobsters and the exquisiteness of the Maine coast. Truth be told, Gourmet was a dream magazine for foodies and voyagers. However Wallace, a not so secluded critic and expert of savviness and talk, took the reader’s on an alternate adventure. One in which their taste buds needed to confront their consciousness. Wallace hopes to provoke self-analysis and examination of the readers’ own views on animal suffering. He does this by utilizing diverse Rhetorical devices to help engage the readers to influence them towards his contention. "Consider the...
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...protests to end segregation. As King writes the letter, he appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos numerously by using techniques such as parallelism, repetition, rhetorical questions, metaphors, similes, and allusions to construct a strong effective argument. “The Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in 1963 from King’s jail cell in Alabama to clarify his reasoning for refusing to obey the laws of his time by constructing and leading nonviolent protests. Within the first paragraphs of his letter to the eight white clergymen, King first uses the appeal to ethos strongly to captivate the minds and attention of his audience. In paragraph two of “The Letter from Birmingham Jail” beginning on page 800, King appeals to ethos to ensure credibility and...
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