Rhetorical questions are often proposed to help get the audience to question themselves. An example of a rhetorical question is what do you consider to be the value of life? Many people will say life is greater than anything else on Earth, but then why do people go around smashing bugs or destroying trees or getting abortions? “Scholars would talk about symbolism in writing, but no one had asked the writers.” At any state, many other people are forced to consider that their view on the subject is. Stephen Crane most definitely plays with rhetorical questions and the symbols that follow those questions, especially in The Red Badge of Courage and An Episode of War. Stephen Crane definitely asks questions that he doesn’t give answers to and that have further meaning behind the actions in, An Episode of War. The questions he asks sometimes aren’t put blatantly, the reader sometimes has to read deeper into the text to simply find the question. The first question Crane has you infer is who shot the lieutenant in the story. “...when suddenly the lieutenant cried out looked quickly at the man near him as if he suspected it was a case of personal assault,” (pg. 509, line 11). The obvious question is, who shot the lieutenant? Judging by the fact that these men are at war, the assumption would be an enemy soldier, but Crane never really tells you. “ I did found myself wondering what YOU as the rhetorical critic interpreted these signs and what these "signified" meanings mean
First, Stephen Crane develops emotional connections with the readers by using irony to comfort the families. He does so by repeating “war is kind” when in fact it is not. He is convincing
In 2003, a survey was conducted by the National Vietnam Veterans’ Readjustment Study that showed approximately 30% of Vietnam Veterans suffer or have suffered from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien writes detailed accounts of war and PTSD from his own experiences, as well the experiences of other veterans. One of the veterans he writes about is Norman Bowker as he asked O’Brien to write “Speaking Courage,” which recalls Bowker driving around a lake in frustration, unable to adjust to his post-war life or talk to anyone about the experiences he had while serving. Three years after Bowker asked O’Brien to write this passage, he committed suicide. Upon receiving another letter from Bowker (this letter
After the Vietnam War, O’Brien wrote The Things They Carried. He does so to connect his audience to the events that happened during the war. Also, he wants people, who did not experience the effects of the war, understand how the war affects soldiers, their humanity, and what they left behind. In “How to Tell a True War Story” O’Brien’s message is to point out the events of the war, and that war stories are not always true because people have different views of how the war affected them. The whole book consisted of a plethora of metaphors, but without these other rhetorical devices O’Brien would not have been as effective in getting his point across thousands of people who read his book. Therefore, O’Brien used polysyndeton to further explain what war is, antithesis to explain why war stories are true and untrue, and repetition to ensure that his audience understand what he is trying to say.
In the story, Crane uses literary techniques such as logos and ethos to describe the harshness of the Civil War and of life. The story tells of a Civil War lieutenant who is shot in the arm while parting out coffee for his troops, and despite the lack of severity of the wound, his arm must be amputated. The lieutenant uses logic when he struggles and denies the fact that his arm requires amputation, but the doctor insists. The story tells of his struggle by saying, “‘Let go of me,’ said the lieutenant, holding back wrathfully, his glance fixed upon the door of the old schoolhouse, as sinister to him as the portals of death.” This shows the seriousness of life and the unfairness of it because the lieutenant was not engaged in battle, yet a stray bullet hit his arm. The story also shows emotion when the lieutenant’s arm is unjustly amputated and he must sooth his family by telling them that his situation is not as serious as they make it out to be, although he himself felt it was unfair. He faces life with dignity and realizes the seriousness of
Passion is a necessary trait all excellent speakers use to persuade their audiences. A passionate speaker uses pathos to sway his or her audience to the speaker’s side by playing with the audience’s emotions. Before pathos is used to move the audience emotionally, it is smart for the speaker to use ethos to build good credibility. With credibility, the speaker has the ability to make the audience trust him or her. That trust is beneficial to help the audience believe what the speaker is saying. Logos is another trait that a strong speaker must make use of to show intellect. It is the appeal to logic. Logic is needed to show the audience that the speaker knows his or her facts and can effectively back them up. Ethos, pathos, and logos are three vital aspects of a good speech. Elizabeth I uses all three appeals subtly throughout her speech, using pathos the most. The queen also uses rhetorical devices to emphasize her points. Through the use of amplification, asyndeton, and climax, Elizabeth I reassures and inspires her troops with her compelling speech.
C3. A quotation that stands out to me in All Quiet on the Western Front is, “But on the last day astonishing number of English heavies opened up on us with high-explosive drumming ceaselessly on our position, so that we suffered severely and came back only eighty strong” (14). This quote is significant because it suggests that more than half of the Second Company has been killed. Paul Bäumer’s tone suggests that various deaths are something
Keith Grant-Davie's essay on rhetorical situations is an in depth explanation of rhetorical situations. A rhetorical situation is when a rhetorician or writer wants to change the way an audience see's or understands something by using discourse. Grant-Davie describes the four main parts of a rhetorical situation as being the rhetor, an audience, exigence, and constraints. The rhetor, is the speaker or producer that is trying to get an idea into the audiences head. The audience is anyone who is taking in the material that the rhetor is advertising. Exigence is the "problem" that the rhetor is addressing; the whole reason discourse was brought to light. Finally constraints are the boundaries the rhetor follows to butter up the audience. They
“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941’” began President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the day following Japan’s fateful attack on Pearl Harbor, resulting in the in the tragic loss of nearly two and a half thousand American lives. A date so famously proclaimed to ‘forever live in infamy,’ and so it has. This inspiring speech to Congress and the American people employed appeals and other techniques in it’s mission to touch America’s heart, both with sympathy and indignation. President Roosevelt’s use of rhetoric is extremely effective in rallying the American people to the cause of entering a war so many were reluctant to support.
1a. Know and understand- to perceive as the fact or the truth; to grasp the meaning of an idea
In the incredible book, All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque, the reader follows Paul Baumer, a young man who enlisted in the war. The reader goes on a journey and watches Paul and his comrades face the sheer brutality of war. In this novel, the author tries to convey the fact that war should not be glorified. Through bombardment, gunfire, and the gruesome images painted by the author, one can really understand what it would have been like to serve on the front lines in the Great War. The sheer brutality of the war can be portrayed through literary devices such as personification, similes, and metaphors.
“A date that shall live in infamy” (Line 2). This is a quote that many Americans have heard before. This infamous quote comes from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), in his Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation. FDR gave this speech in response to the Pearl Harbor Attack on December 7th, 1941. The point of this speech was to persuade Congress into declaring war on the Axis Powers. This speech went on to fuel a nation into four years of war. As you know, the US joined the Allied Powers in WWII. This is because FDR was able to effectively use Pathos and Ethos to convince Congress to join WWII.
In the story The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, I find that Hosseini uses an abundance of symbolism to get his point across to the readers. The collection of quotes Hosseini writes had me stop to think about what the meaning behind his words was. It really made me think deeply about the meaning of each quote. He states the quote, and leaves it for the reader to decide his or her own musings to it. His words truly caught my attention. “With me as the glaring exception, my father molded the world around him to his liking. The problem, of course, was that Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can’t love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little”
Former Commander in Chief and President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his speech, “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation,” discloses the details of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt’s purpose is to notify the nation about Japan’s aggressive naval actions and to petition Congress to declare war on Japan. He adopts a somber yet patriotic and confident tone in order to rally the citizens and members of Congress behind his proposal for war.
To begin, Pack’s rhetorical questions contributed to the meaning of anxiety and depression. For example, the Voice asked, “If death is not, who is my enemy”. To elaborate, the Voice is anxious about the negative aspects in life and how they be prepare to overcome the negative aspects since death is inevitable and natural rather than negative. Along with the rhetorical questions, the Echo appears to be answering the questions, despite the Voice not directly asking for an answer. In response to the previous quote, the Echo stated “Me”. This indicates the depression that the Voice is experiencing by blaming themselves and stating that they are their own enemy. Another rhetorical question is “And in that night would you rejoice or weep”. This
People tend to be greatly influenced by stories, news, and other contemporary sources of knowledge, which ultimately affects the impact they have on the world. Stephen Crane was greatly impacted by the time period in which he lived. One such influence was the popular literary style of Realism. Realism is the trend in which literature is based on the true nature of everyday occurrences devoid of any fantasy or romance. It is the raw depiction of what life and society is actually like. This literary style can be found in many of Stephen Crane’s novels. Religion also had a significant impact on the way Stephen Crane wrote his novels. He was an atheist which brought about the idea that humans are just part of nature and must solve their own problems without the intervention of a higher being. This notion is evident with the protagonist of The Red Badge of Courage. Henry Fleming, a young union soldier in the Civil War, must overcome the fear of putting his life at risk to achieve what he wants most which is honor. Honor comes from actively participating in battle and sacrificing his life for the cause. Honor is physically represented from a wound noted as the “Red Badge”. In the end Henry doesn’t consult in a higher being and achieves what he wants most by overcoming the mental obstacles and ultimately finding the strength within to realize what courage actually is. Accompanied by the literary movements and his religion, his time period was heavily influenced by the