Rhetorical Diction In Lee Jenkins's 'A Good Man Down'

Check your intuitions—neither dismiss them, nor trust them blindly. In the play, Twelve Angry Men, the Jurors are always checking their intuitions. The Jurors’ intuitions are going to change whether the accused is guilty or not. The judge says, “If there is a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused—then you must declare him not guilty.

Rhetorical strategies are used to convey what values an author is trying to explain to the reader, as well as how great of an impact those values, or experiences have. Sherman Alexie uses rhetorical strategies and language to identify the value and intensity of each experience in his writing. His use of tone, repetition, and anecdotes are apparent in Sherman Alexie’s pieces, “Indian Education” and “Superman and Me,” each using these strategies to better inform the reader of the intensity, and value of his experiences.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of literature is the message the author is trying to portray in his or her writing. One of the ways an author can do this is through the use of rhetorical devices. Rhetorical devices, such as a metaphor or alliteration, are used to persuade an audience and highlight the intended meaning of the writing to the reader. In the narratives, “On the Rainy River” and “A&P”, the authors of these stories use rhetorical devices to show the development of the main protagonist. “On the Rainy River” revolves around a man named Tim, who is conflicted on whether or not to join the army during the Vietnam War. On the other hand, “A&P”

When it comes to writing and speaking, there are many aspects that make up sophisticated rhetoric. There is the rhetorical triangle and the rhetorical appeals. The rhetorical triangle demonstrates who the author is, who the audience is, and what the purpose is. The rhetorical appeals are pathos, ethos, and logos. All of these together are core components.

The book assigned to all incoming freshmen of the College of Charleston to read over the summer was a poignant look into the prejudice-scarred past of the American south. Named for those few months in 1964 that redefined freedom and equality in America, it included many noble and inspirational characters, and choosing one to write about was no easy task. However, reading Freedom Summer, I found myself drawn to one character in particular: Chris Williams. The youngest of those who ventured into the heart of bloody Mississippi that summer, this 18-year old boy grew into a man by the time that summer was through with him. I cheered him on as he left his comfortable home, his high school diploma, and even his hippie hairstyle in Massachusetts. I was in awe of

Methodical: Juror Eight is very logical and he wants to cautiously look at all the data that has been existed in the trial before making any other decisions. If the jurors found the defendant guilty then the defendant in this case would be receiving the death penalty and be executed and the play would end without any other drama in it. Juror Eight takes the possibility of him being guilty or not very seriously and examines every single evidences carefully not missing a single information. He does not want to risk killing the defendant by mistake and by just following the facts. Juror Eight is trying to make other jurors to believe that the defendant could be innocent depending on all the evidences and eye witnesses.

Staples begins with a story of one of his first experiences being treated as a criminal. He explains how shocking it was for him, being someone who “is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken” to have someone as scared of him as this lady was. Her actions made it clear that Staples was “indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area from the surrounding ghetto.” This beginning formulates the main idea of the essay, making the reader think of what they would have done if they were put into the same situation.

Lee talks about Parkersburg the town, how is sits among corn and soybean fields in northern Iowa, and it gives you a sense of small town living. He talks about how the field was an important part of Ed Thomas’s life. Something he was obviously very proud of and took great care of. Lee mentions how Thomas wouldn’t allow the football to team to walk, but only run on the field. Everyone else was required to stay off and he would even

Rhetorical techniques are used in all good speeches, whether live or in text. These techniques are used to make a better delivery to the audience. An example of such a speech is found in Pulitzer prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In Chapter 20, a character, Atticus Finch, makes a closing statement to the Jury regarding a case that is controversial in the fictional southern town/county of Maycomb. Finch talks about society’s construct and how it may wrongly affect the outcome of the case, lest the Jury let it. Finch (Lee) uses rhetorical techniques throughout the speech to persuade the Jury (reader) and by doing so, he (she, the author) sends a powerful message.

After the betrayal of Hassan, Amir feels ashamed of himself. He feels all of the guilt and does not know how to become good again. He feels this guilt for the majority of his life, even in America. Subsequently Amir and Baba moved to America, Amir meets a girl. He always finds excuses to go see her and finally decides that he wants to marry her. So Baba went to go ask her father for permission and he said yes. Shortly after receiving this news, Amir talks with Soraya, his wife, and she does something that Amir has wanted to do for quite a while, she tells him her secret. Amir “envied her. Her secret was out, spoken, dealt with. [he] opened [his] mouth and almost told her how [he’d] betrayed Hassan, lied, driven him out, and destroyed a 40 year

Tom Guthrie, a man that resides in a small town called Holt in the state of Colorado, is one of the main characters in the novel Plainsong. Plainsong is a novel of change. Throughout the story, all the characters intermix at some point with occurring themes of isolation, community, and acceptance. Throughout the novel Plainsong, Guthrie is faced with difficult situations where he makes bad choices, but throughout it all, his motivation is positive in wanting the end result to be good. I will specifically examine three scenes from the novel that illustrate this phenomenon. Ultimately, Guthrie’s flawed behavior and good intentions reveals there is hope for everyone.

Peyton Fahrquhar is a plantation owner who sincerely regrets his decision to go the enemy post. Pushed by the lust to help his country he made the decision to burn down the bridge where the enemy is posted. Although Peyton was not able to do that, he was caught in the act and sentenced to hang. In the moments before his death he is unable the handle the consequences of his endeavor: leaving his wife and children without protection, enabling the enemy to take control of his land and resources, and not to mention standing in the face of death. He lets his mind wonder to the dream of escaping, a narrow escape, still valiant and hero worthy. He thinks of the beauty of the land he lives in. “All is as he left it, and all

If Tom heard, he made no acknowledgment. His eyes remained dull, his expression vacant. Somewhere, in the midst of the chaos that was the harshness of reality, he had managed to build a protective wall, a refuge in his mind where he was no longer a victim, no longer a weak, pathetic excuse for a man. He was Tom Hanson the cop, the loving son, the loyal friend; he was a man free

On one fine morning in Strattenburg, Theodore Boone rode his blood red and jet black bike deeper into the city. He was on his way to the large, old, and white as a pearl courthouse. On his way there crisp cold air hit his face, and he darted off into the bare alley. Next, he came across minimal but noisy traffic, and passed a stop sign. Inside, the atmosphere was filled with the supremacy, and righteousness. He shoot up the staircase turned a sharp corner. Finally, he arrived at his destination at the family court then, saw his close friend April Finnemore. She was sitting on one of those ancient logged benches. She seemed like a combination of the feelings like, vulnerable, abandoned, uneasy, and upset. When

“A Good Man Down,” written by Lee Jenkins, is about a small Iowa town and how they come together and cope in times of despair. Ed Thomas was not only the high school football coach but probably the most respected men in the town. It seems as this man would do anything to help out his community. Unfortunately, Thomas was shot by Mark Becker, a former athlete, on June 24, 2009. In fact, Mark’s brother was playing for Thomas at the time of the murder. In this piece of writing, Jenkins uses all three elements pathos, ethos, and logos to really pull the audience in and make the reader feel what the town of Parkersburg was going through.