Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Amy Tan in the story, Fish Cheeks, implies that even though America is a country of immigrants, few of their traditions are acceptable in our culture. Tan supports her suggestion by describing christmas of the year she turned 14. The author’s purpose is to point out the irony of a country of immigrants with only one set of traditions in order to make us think about what traditions we suppress. The author writes in an earnest tone for Americans of all descents.
The author supports her argument by sharing extremely personal details about what went on in her head on this christmas night. A quote that really stuck out for me here was about her relatives and how she was embarrassed about them and her culture. “What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food,” (Tan 1). I believe this helps her argument of how ‘Americans’ have a certain set of traditions that everyone is magically required to follow when the become citizens, no matter their own traditions and heritage. She uses this to make the audience think more deeply about how they would have reacted in this situation if they were in Robert’s shoes.
Tan develops her relationship with the audience by allowing us inside of her head and her private conversation that she had with her mom after Robert left. This helps to appeal to the emotions of the audience
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen utilizes elements of ethos and metaphors in the passage on pages 116 and 117 in order to persuade readers to believe that humans have become a “race of corn.” Ethos is one of the most notable forms of persuasion Pollen uses. He gets credibility by asking “Todd Dawson, a biologist at Berkeley, to run a McDonald's meal through his mass spectrometer and calculate how much of the carbon in it came originally from a corn plant...in the various McDonald’s menu items” (Pollen 116). Including a study written by a certified professional lends more support to his argument of the presence of corn. In addition, he also mentions that the research mentions menu items from McDonalds, a well-known, unhealthy company,
Bags the bane of the sea rhetorical analysis on Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment.”
2. In paragraph 6, Tan quotes a passage of her mother’s speech. With this quotation, the purpose that she wants to serve is show how her mother uses the English language to express herself.
Amy and the main character from “Carapace” both feel burdened to satisfy the expectations of their country by changing their personality and adapting to situations in specific ways. Such behavior is seen when Amy complies to Robert and the American culture by refusing to eat her favorite delicacy, fish cheeks, only because the dish is not the traditional Thanksgiving spread of her society, the United States. Amy is also stressed to conform by committing to the “dress code” of her society as told by her mother, “You want to be same as American girl on the outside.”(Tan 2) and her wish, “I prayed for...a slim new American nose” (Tan 1).
Through her description of Robert’s arrival, the author reveals that she feels embarrassed and ashamed of her culture. The anxious narrator describes Robert “as white as Mary in the manger”, expressing how much she admires this pure, innocent boy. This allusion points out Tan’s admiration for the saint-like Robert. She’s Chinese and he is American. She is worried he will not like her because of their
Mike Rauser’s article, “War on Christmas” product of spoiled attitudes, provides an introduction to help explain the contents learned in this class. His article has viewpoints that can be demonstrated by the four nodes of religion inquiry, and Ninian Smart’s six dimension of religion. His article acts as a springboard to show our understanding of the course materials.
“Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan recalls an embarrassing Christmas Eve dinner the author had during her childhood. Attending this dinner was Tans childhood crush and an assortment of Tans relatives and family friends. Tan explains that she was embarrassed by her family’s Chinese traditions, including the mishmash of Chinese foods, noisy relatives, and impolite manners (Tan 74). Tan’s only desire was to be like other American girls, but it wasn’t until much later in life did Tan truly realize what her family’s heritage meant to her. Likewise, “Museum” by Naomi Shihab Nye tells of another past embarrassing experience by the author. Nye informs the reader of an add she saw for a museum called the McNay. Nye and her friend both decide to attend the
The prose of this excerpt distinctively illustrates the speaker’s negative attitude directed at the “gentlefolk” people. The use of metaphors, an ironical satire, and vivid examples of their idleness amongst the gentlefolks assist the reader to identify his disdainful attitude towards the gentlefolks. According to the speaker the only thing that is holding this arrogant type of people back is their idleness, which leads to a number of odd mishaps.
In what way is the “unlikely pairing of histories” at the thanksgiving celebration especially American? For many years, it has been a tradition for American to sit around the table and tell stories of the past and which we’ve overcome.
On the other hand the main focus on Tan’s story is to show the beautiful and passionate side of her mother that people can't see. Tan describes how all of the English’s that she grew up with, normal English and "mother tongue" English, has shaped her first outlook of life. She writes, "But to me, my mother's
The controversial documentary Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite rose to popularity four years ago in 2013, when it was released. Blackfish tells the stories of killer whales, or orcas, that were caught and kept in captivity, and the effects that arose due to their capture. The documentary focuses on Tilikum, an orca caught in 1983, who was kept in captivity in SeaWorld Orlando since his capture for 34 years. Blackfish does an excellent job in using all three rhetorical appeals, providing many real life examples and statistics, to defend their argument that orcas should never be captured or held in captivity.
While children are growing up in America, they are told several tales of America’s establishment and history. However, these stories are generally not told as they actually happened. An instance of this is the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is explained as this elaborate ceremony where the Pilgrims and Indians gathered in harmony at this large harvest in celebration of their coming together. According to the primary document of William Bradford’s journal, Thanksgiving didn’t pan out quite as it is explained to Americans today. In the film, The Addams Family Values, the Addams children take part in a traditional, yet misconceived celebration of the first Thanksgiving. This
The main rhetoric appeal used by Tan is pathos, the appeal to emotion. Language becomes an obstacle for Tan because her mother speaks limited English. Amy must be an interpreter for her mother in instances where her mother cannot communicate effectively. ?And sure enough, the following week there we were in
In “Who’s Irish”, Gish Jen demonstrates a family that has Chinese root and American culture at the same time. The main character is a fierce grandmother who lives in with her daughter’s family, and then ironically forced to move out because of her improper behavior during she raises her granddaughter. The author uses some unpleasant language and contents to describe the situation, which are effectively demonstrate how difficult and how struggle for people who lives in the gap between two different cultures. I can’t say who is right or who is wrong, but feel sorry for the grandmother.
In Consider The Lobster, David Foster Wallace raises an ethical question: “Is it right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?” However, this essay is not to provide a definite answer to this question but lets the readers come up with their own answers. Wallace uses rhetorical strategies such as comparison, imagery, and questions to make the audiences think deep about the moral lens of consuming lobsters.