A Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter To Eliza Stacey

The excerpt from Mary Oliver’s “Building the House” serves as a way to describe what happens during the poetry writing process. Although Mary Oliver believes that writing poetry is hard work, she uses extended metaphor, juxtaposition, and point of view to describe the writing process in comparison of building a house, which shows that Oliver sees poetry as something that involves mental labor which is a different challenge than physical labor .

In her essay, “Context” (1994), Dorothy Allison states that knowing a person well and deeply depends on and requires personal knowledge of their upbringing and social life. The essay was published as a memoir to reflect on people’s perception about others. Dorothy employs flashbacks and comparison in order to express her opinions on understanding, trusting and judging a person. She uses flashback and comparison to show that context provides a varied angle about a person. She further argues that, when not properly understood, it can easily breed rivalry between people from varied social backgrounds. Dorothy writes her essay to a general audience and expresses her opinions about context, upbringing environment, and a social group having a fundamental role in a person’s character.

This paper will be a unique interpretation coupled with an analysis of rhetoric in A Thousand Acre’s by Jane Smiley. This non-fiction novel is told in third person omniscient and is focused on the point of view of one of the main characters, Ginny Cook. A Thousand Acres was a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear; set on a large farm and small town in Iowa. This setting is important to the plot because it is more realistic compared to a far away mystical land that is detached from its audience. Smiley uses various rhetorical and literary techniques within her book to engage readers while still keeping to the basic storyline previously written by Shakespeare. Smiley’s use of language positively aids the imagery and emotions seen

Eliza Stacey attempts to persuade her father-in-law to help her family once again. Her husband, George, has been arrested for an unpaid debt. Stacey’s family does not have enough money to pay this debt off. To make the situation even more complicated, Stacey has had to ask her father-in-law for help in the past. However, the author is able to make a compelling case. In order to accomplish this, she uses many rhetorical strategies such as the three appeals and repetition.

Jane Addams’ speech explains her stance of George Washington's legacy as a soldier, statesman, and a Virginia planter. In this speech, Jane Addams references George Washington’s accomplishments in his past, including how things would be if he is to be present today. The most significant uses of rhetorical devices in this speech include hypophora, rhetorical questions, enumeratio, distinctio, and metaphors.

Ben Franklin is known for a slew of accomplishments in his life as a Founding Father of the United States. An inventor and author, among other occupations, Ben Franklin grew quite a fan base in his lifetime, despite having such progressive beliefs. One of his most progressive pieces of writing, “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker,” discusses the inequality surrounding laws against having children outside of marriage, specifically regarding how it impacted women. In Benjamin Franklin’s “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker,” Franklin uses wit to effectively argue that the sexist punishments of laws against having children out of wedlock are absurd by appealing to the reader’s ethos, logos, and pathos through the voice of Polly Baker (Baym). Ben Franklin

Willa Cather has a great understanding of diction and thoroughly displays it in My Antonia. Anton Jelinek, a newly arrived immigrant from Bohemia, still calls Italians, “Eytalian … kawn-tree … we was showed in” (69) and mispronounces country and does not yet understand English grammar. He comments that, “I make my first communion very young,” (71). Jelinek’s informal dialogue fits his character because he is an immigrant and has just barely started to learn English. Therefore, his bad grammar, his accent, and mispronunciations make sense for who he is and where he came from, especially when taken into account where he is in his life. In contrast, Jim, who grew up in America and is native to the land, has a highly developed vocabulary and comments on how things are, “taciturn … [or] queer,” (72) and notes that Krajiek, “shrunk along behind them,” (75). He describes the, “bluish air, full of fine eddying snow, like long veils flying,” (76) and uses the words, “propitiatory intent” (77). Jim has a more formal language and is more educated that the immigrants of the towns. It is logical because it is written from the view of Jim as an adult looking back. As he looks back, he finds more complete words to describe situations that when he was actually in them. Jim’s vocabulary enlarged over time, so changes in how he describes his memories or reasonable.

The Queen of England, Elizabeth I, in a speech to her troops at Tilbury in 1588, motivates the troops by reminding them of the loyalty of the English subjects and the great power of England. They are in the midst of a war against Spain, and it is obvious that the Spanish armada will soon be approaching, and a battle will soon commence. The Queen’s purpose with her speech is to motivate her troops, to inspire patriotism for their country so they will fight more ferociously and with greater vigor than before in the war against Spain. She does this by adopting a regal, honorable, and reverent tone, asserting her authority while still giving the troops the respect they deserve in a way that shows her loyalty and appreciation for them. She wants her country to win in the war against Spain, which is why her speech must be powerful and elicit strong, immediate responses from her audience.

The following passage is an excerpt from Katherine Anne Porter’s short story “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.” Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how such choices as figurative language, imagery, and dialogue develop the complex emotions the character is feeling.

Showing the poverty, which Eliza comes from is that Eliza is a poor flower peddler, someone who is selling flowers, who is only ending up having her flowers damaged by Freddy. Eliza cleverly is able to convince the mother Mrs. Eynsford Hill to but the damaged flowers. When this all begins this the first low point of Eliza’s and she dose not know it is her beginning of a new way of life. All before Eliza is chosen as the subject to be transformed in to a duchess like person:

fight even against prevailing odds. Elizabeth is able to rally the troops by addressing her strengths and weaknesses, assuaging any doubt that she would run away, and by claiming each and every man would be rewarded for their efforts on the battlefield.

Eliza lay on the ground, Thanuel bending menacingly over her. He spoke up,” I told you, you’re a coward.”Eliza spit as much as her weak body could manage onto his shoes. He laughed and looked over at his traitorous son,” Erond, come and get her… bring her to the dungeons.” Erond cast her a sorrowful glance as he came over and picked her up off the ground. As forceful as he was, she could still see tears welling in his eyes. She understood in a menacing way, after all, he had just turned on his people and slaughtered his friends on a traitor's command. She was then thrown into a small wagon/prison and taken away from the battleground.

Eveline's father is the second most important character in the story, yet Joyce chooses not to reveal his name. That is because he is only a father in a biological sense, falling short at every other fatherly duty. Mr.Hill is a failed provider who takes his offspring’s earnings only to hand it back, allowing him to feel like a “man of the house”. He is abusive and flaunts his dominance by “threaten[ing]” (Joyce 73) Eveline well into her adulthood. The threats seem unprovoked and random, indicating father's attempts to instill fear rather than curb or abolish an offending behavior. Compensating for his failures, the father uses aggression and control to get what he wants. “Her father was becoming old lately, she noticed; he would miss her” (Joyce 75), the narrator draws our attention to the aging of the father and impending helplessness following it. Though Joyce does not clarify how the father will miss Eveline, judging by his past conducts, it is safe to assume that he would miss Eveline’s help around the house and money the most. Still, as she contemplates leaving, Eveline sees good in him and “tries to balance her father's increasing capacity for violence by remembering three random acts of kindness”(Trudell) that seemingly undue all the wrong he has done in the past. No matter

people take a moment to commiserate or feel remorseful for someone, yet they rarely give it another thought. As a class, we read a short story by James Joyce called Eveline. The first time reading this story, it was a bit confusing and quite irritating. As a woman of the 21st century, one whom is “fierce” and independent, I found it tough to sympathize with Eveline. “Stop your pity party and create a happier life.” This is what I found myself saying, after my initial reading. However, I took a step back and actually looked at the story. I remembered the context, it takes place in. The year, country, and how different things were back then. Placing myself in Eveline’s shoes, a woman from the early 1900’s, assisted me in sympathizing with her.

The factor that changes her fate is that Eliza knows how to grasp chances when they favor her. Overhearing Higgins boast that the professor can make her a duchess, she immediately seizes the opportunity and makes a visit to Higgins. This is the turning point of her life; that is, the beginning of her transformation. Without the independent character and the ability to make right decisions as well as right choices, Eliza would have remained a poor flower girl all her life.