1. What is the writer’s purpose and how does s/he achieve it?

2. What are the dominant rhetorical strategies that the writer employs?
3. How successful is s/he in conveying the main point(s)?

Education - Kyoko Mori, “School” p.204

● Highlight cultural differences between Americans & Japanese schools,
workplaces, achievement in education
○ Emphasize restriction/lack of freedom in Japanese society by
exploring multiple norms:
■ College admissions
■ Zen-style teaching
■ ie -> blind respect for authority
■ Gender roles
○ Still acknowledges merits of system to appear more credible

● Personal anecdotes of her educational experience in Japan

● Juxtaposition between American & Japanese norms
● Parallelism to describe lifestyle of Japanese friends/women

● Clear line of reasoning that goes beyond the education system to

underlying societal mechanisms & historical traditions that drive it (ie,
religious structure)
● Individual freedom sacrificed for protection of group
○ “All of nothing mentality”
● Importance of 2nd chances & freedom of choice due to unpredictability
of life
○ Choose what makes you happy

Community - Dinaw Mengestu, “Home At Last” p.337

● Educate about immigrant struggles of finding a community or where
you belong by narrating his own story from Ethiopia → USA
○ Strong desire for sense of belonging is not limited to immigrants
● Casual, first-person POV so that more people can relate to his
experiences
○ Chronological narration to follow his life from his parents’ escape
from war-torn Ethiopia to his peace in Kensington
■ Easy to follow, clearly see succession & change that allows
him to overcome the grief that his parents suffered from
 ● Personal anecdotes about experiences of his family, life in Brooklyn
● Imagery of Kensington’s atmosphere

● Highly sentimental, detail, & heartwarming - intends to captivate the

audience with his day-to-day life
● Isolation can be positive or negative - arise in different settings sparked
by factors such as loss of life, geographical location, cultural differences,
etc.
● Nobody is truly alone - finding a sense of belonging is not bound by
race, ethnicity, language & can emerge in the most unexpected places

Economy - Matthew B. Crawford, “The Case for Working with Your Hands”
p.449
● Persuade about the intrinsic value in practical, hands-on trade work &
destigmatize it as an activity/career for youth
○ Provide universally beneficial reasons
○ Doesn’t go to extremes or absolutes
○ Highlight limits of traditional schooling
● Emphasize freedom of choice & endless opportunities - open mind!
● Examine multiple aspects:
○ Economics
○ Personal growth & enjoyment
○ Societal misconceptions
● Shifts in tone & diction when he describes mechanic (enthusiastic,
abstract, visionary) v. office job (Annoyed, bland)
○ Overly detailed account of being motorcycle mechanic is
beneficial
■ Show how complicated it is + how much it meant to him

● Personal anecdotes about his multiple careers (PHD at UChicago,

public school teacher, motorcycle mechanic, abstract writer in an office)
○ Establishes ethos
● Metaphors

● Analytical, unbiased, thorough

● Trade work is more cognitively-engaging than many office jobs that
emphasize strict standards of application
 ○ Compare & contrast the skills he gained during writing at office v.
mechanic
■ Social aspects, strong sense of accountability, must adapt
● Tangible sense of reward

Gender - Judy Brady, “I Want a Wife” p.539

● Criticize & mock societal gender roles & men for their unrealistic,
burdensome expectations of women/wives
○ Uses humorous tone
● Provoking & overwhelming, feels like rapid rambling
● Self-absorbed mindset of personified husband perspective who places
his needs first
○ 1st person & possessive pronouns to show ownership
■ “mine,” “myself,” “me,” “my wife”
○ Wife is owned & not respected

● Anaphora/repetition
● Hyperbole
● Juxtaposition

● Humorous, but still carries an aspect of realism which makes it so

compelling
● What is mentioned v. what isn’t is glaringly obvious & seems off
○ Overwhelming list of “expected” obligations of a wife, but no
mention of returned love, service or gratitude
○ Complete lack of balance in some modern relationships
● Wives/mothers rarely have somebody to take care of them
○ Disproportionate responsibilities

Sports - Joyce Carol Oates, “The Cruelest Sport” p.622

● Highlight the dangers of boxing as a bloody, primitive sport that has
deep-rooted inequality
○ Role of poverty & race in the industry
○ Strange position in American culture
● Emotionally-uninvolved, unbiased, more research-focused
○ Doesn’t directly inject her own opinions, just raises questions
about morality
○ Focus on famous stories & outside commentary
 ● Case study for Muhammad Ali
● Allusion
● Rhetorical questions
● Comparisons/analogies
● Reference other pieces of literature
○ “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing”

● Interesting how she is able to use an unconventional example - boxing’s

greatest success - to support her point against boxing
● Boxers are usually ethnic minorities seeking a better life (how many
famous boxers came to be)
○ Doesn’t undermine the respectability or achievement of famous
boxers - criticize those that exploits them for personal interest
■ Entertainment
■ Money
● Hidden, inexplicable side of human that is uncivilized yet powerful
○ Brutal boxing matches

Language - Firoozeh Dumas, “The ‘F Word’” p.738

● Inform about the struggles of growing up with an “exotic” name in
American society
○ Highlight differences in how she was treated (school,
employment, public spaces)
○ Balancing 2 opposing identities that couldn't be reconciled
● Casual, 1st person chronological narrative of elementary school → job

● Personal anecdotes
● Humor!! Centered around mispronunciations & exaggerated meanings
● Analogies
● Rhetorical questions
● Stream of consciousness
○ Bombarded w/questions when her name indicated she was an
immigrant

● Not critical or hostile, more observational & hopeful

● Americans are willing to learn, but historically lack exposure to different
cultures/languages
 ○ Portrays it light-heartedly as slightly annoying curiosity
■ Anyone w/foreign name will easily relate
● Underlying bias against immigrants, assume they’re less efficient w/the
same, uncomfortable/unfamiliar
○ Struggled finding a job w/real name, judgmental glances at
offices

Pop Culture - Daniel Harris, “Celebrity Bodies” p.838

● Criticize the way that society views Hollywood & obsessive role it has in
people’s lives
○ Raise awareness about the absurdity of people’s behavior -
delusional idolization of celebrities w/impossible standards
○ Should not be so influential
● Vulgar and provoking
● 2nd and 3rd person to include reader in common societal
actions/thoughts
● Elevated, formal diction

● Overwhelming number of examples of celebrities (name-dropping)

w/extreme detail about the event
○ Demonstrate his knowledge/research & develop ethos as cultural
critic
● Imagery
● Hyperbole
● Metaphor

● Places himself above the average consumer in terms of awareness,

knowledge, intelligence, not easily influenced
○ Gain respect
● Pathological/paradoxical relationship w/celebrities
○ Know so much about their private lives, but also nothing at the
same time
● Double standard for celebrities (body image, behavior)
○ Expect they be virtuous & advocate healthy body image
○ Nobody imitates them but are still obsessed
Environment - E.O Wilson, “The Future of Life” p.945
● Evaluate different approaches to environmentalism - “people-first” v.
“environmentalist”
○ Highlight detriments of conflict & argument, both have validity
● Instill & inspire purpose into ppl, change how they view the
environmental movement in political sense

● Statistical reports from outside sources

● Metaphors/similes
● Endnotes for credibility

● Play mediator & reconcile 2 rival viewpoints

● Conservation should be a common goal outside of political
disputes/motives
○ Universal perception, long-term
■ “Extended future history of humankind”
● “Battle-fatigued” - stereotypes are useless & harm the movement
○ Economics v. ethics

Politics - Laura Blumenfeld, “The Apology” p.1048

● Highlight humanity in war & pure intentions behind violent behaviors
○ More than weapons & destruction - real people fighting for causes
they whole-heartedly believe in
○ People aren’t military objectives/targets
● Show gradual change in Khatib’s voice thru letters
○ Declarative, like a mission statement → sincere & personal
● 1st person narrative of both her & Khatib’s development

● Juxtaposition
● Letters from Khatib
● Dialogue

● Honest, personal, & powerful since it directly involves her father

○ Still manages to remain impartial & calm when facing people
who tried to kill her father - journalistic tendencies
● Reconciled vastly different perspectives
○ Draw out empathy & humanity