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Joe And Edna Rhetorical Analysis

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1. The premise of “JOE AND EDNA” is that Joe’s inability to see past his wife’s plea to strike for a better wage proves the huge misbalance of corporations and the common folk although the main argument is the disparity in hope. Edna urges that there is no money but solely for rent. “You got two blondie kids…they need food and clothes” (Odets 9). Joe believes that this is all they can achieve at the moment, that even if he were to rise above, it could ultimately backfire. “We’re averaging six-seven dollars…that is something, Edna” (Odets 10). It is evident that Joe’s idea of surviving is too maintain stagnate. Odets pushes Joe’s rhetoric to instill the idea that although fighting for a better wage and going against your superiors is an uplifting …show more content…

2. There is a yin-yang effect portrayed with Joe and Edna. The yin is known as dark and negative while the yang is a representation of light and positivity. How do they fit into these symbols? It is noted throughout the entire vignette that darkness surrounds and clouds Joe’s judgment, ultimately making him weak. He portrays qualities of someone who is defeated and unwilling to change. Edna represents that light/change and is the more positive character. Her strength and willingness to see through the conflict is what ultimately helps them come to a resolution. Both characters complement each other much like the yin and yang, channeling their energy to create harmony in their lives. 3. The most important issue brought in the episode is the division amongst the working class and capitalists. It is quoted that “times are bad,” (Odets 8) and if Joe could get another job he would. Edna makes an argument to further stress this division by saying “your boss is making suckers outo you boys” (Odets 10), as a way to say that his superiors don’t care about him or his family. Competition amongst workers during the great depression enabled the reduction in wages or has Edna states, “they’ll push you down to three and four a week before you know it” (Odets 10). This dialogue is what would ultimately make a reader understand that if you didn’t fight for a better wage, a business would ultimately decide your fate. Companies aren’t in business to pay your expenses but only to make a profit. Edna quotes, “the world was supposed to be for all of us” (10). It is heavily implied that communism is denounced to anyone who suggests that businesses should be in favor of the working class. Edna tries to instill the idea that what was happening to their family was morally wrong and that change is needed for their sake and for others.

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