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Rhetorical Analysis On Dumpster Diving

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On Dumpster Diving Lars Eighner was an average successful man in the 1960s until one day, his life took a turn for the worst. Eighner became homeless after losing his job and he stayed homeless for the next three years of his life. On Dumpster Diving is his account of being homeless and how in order to survive, he had to partake in dumpster diving. When hearing the word, dumpster, any person's first thought is most likely to be of the pungent smell and revolting things that may be lurking inside the big metal beast. Eighner uses many different rhetorical strategies when introducing his viewpoint, on dumpsters, to the audience. He gives us the insider’s view in the life of a homeless, dumpster diver, through his own experience. The life of a scavenger and their ability to survive, along with the wasted resources in American economies, are the main subjects within this piece. Eighner uses ethos, logos, and pathos to introduce this to the audience. Ethos is a rhetorical appeal that Eighner establishes automatically and through the text as well. Eighner is a well known writer, his work has appeared in the Washington Post, The New York Times Review, and many others. He was a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, his educated mind is displayed through his diction. He uses the word like corrupted, obscure, frankness, and niche. Obviously these are words your average “street rat” would not use. This deems Eighner credibility because he is an educated personnel. Eighner’s

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