Christina Nguyen
Jared McCoy (39B)
Rhetorical Analysis
February 20, 2014
Rhetorical Analysis
“What is your name?” William Blake asks.
“My name is Nobody… He who talks loud, saying nothing”
Why do authors or directors decide to give no names or self-refuting names for characters in their films or books? Nobody refers to be called “Nobody” however he is certainly not nobody. As a matter of fact, he is a savior and a guide to a helplessly injured white man. In the film “A Fistful of Dollars,” Clint Eastwood’s character is introduced as “The Man with No Name” and is often being called “Stranger” throughout the film. Perhaps, the viewers do not question his name because Stranger appears as a complete stranger, the townspeople are surprised and
…show more content…
Regeneration and violence are common features of the myth of the west, even on the cover of novel, Michael Herr states that Blood Meridian is “a classic American novel of regeneration through violence.” Blood Meridian goes far beyond into the dark depths of humanity and is unquestionably the goriest novel. In this novel, McCarthy manages to capture the history of violence and bloody conflicts between us, the Mexicans and the American Indians. The book is full of violent imagery of murdered and scalped victims. At first, it seems like a runaway kid labeled “the kid” is the protagonist in the book, but as the book progresses, McCarthy builds Judge Holden into a deeply layered man—a man, knowledgeable and intelligent-- a murderer, vicious and manipulative. The judge is a very special and an interesting character that is not frequently appeared in the west. From his appearance to his actions, the judge is the epitome of the darkest, most mysterious and complex character of all in the West. McCarthy smartly reserves to give a short, accurate summary of Judge Holden in the last chapter of the …show more content…
In addition, the fact that almost all the characters in this novel are uneducated and are accustomed to simple language makes the judge appear brighter and more knowledgeable. In one passage, the judge manipulates the other riders by replying a simple question with a long, “scholarly” comment “It is not necessary, he said, that the principals here be in possession of the facts concerning their case, for their acts will ultimately accommodate history with or without their understanding. But it is consistent with notions of right principle that these facts—to the extent that they can be readily made to do so—should find a repository in the witness of some third party” (85). Through cunning manipulation, the judge is able to escape from giving a legit explanation and is capable of confusing the other riders. The Judge’s cleverness is a perfect tool to convert those around him, changing the way they see, think, and feel. Similar to the Judge, Clint Eastwood’s character who is also known as Stranger in A Fistful of Dollars utilizes his intelligence to outsmart the families Baxters and Rojos who compete in hoping of becoming wealthy. Knowing there is an opportunity to obtain some money, Stranger smartly strategizes his plan by picking a fight with the Baxters. Then, he negotiates
“A Modest Proposal” was written in 1729 by a satirical author by the name of Jonathan Swift. Swift studied at the University of Oxford and was also know for his popular writing in Gulliver’s Travel. The purpose for his satire “A Modest Proposal” was to enlighten the citizens of Ireland about their hardship and suffering. He informed them about their scares of food, money, and property, but provided a possible solution to their problem. To persuade the people Swift adopts a comforting and friendly tone to his audience for the people to react to his solution.
The Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of several civil rights activists who were arrested in Birmingham Alabama, after protesting against racial injustices in Alabama. Dr. King wrote this letter in response to a statement titled A Call for Unity, which was published on Good Friday by eight of his fellow clergymen from Alabama. Dr. King uses his letter to eloquently refute the article. In the letter dr. king uses many vivid logos, ethos, and pathos to get his point across. Dr. King writes things in his letter that if any other person even dared to write the people would consider them crazy.
Schopen, Bernard A. "'They Rode On': Blood Meridian and the Art of Narrative." Western American Literature 30.2 (Summer 1995): 179-194. Rpt. inContemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 204. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 May 2014.
In her unforgettable memoir, Barbara Ehrenreich sets out to explore the lives of the working poor under the proposed welfare reforms in her hometown, Key West, Florida. Temporarily discarding her middle class status, she resides in a small cheap cabin located in a swampy background that is forty-five minutes from work, dines at fast food restaurants, and searches all over the city for a job. This heart-wrenching yet infuriating account of hers reveals the struggles that the low-income workers have to face just to survive. In the except from Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich uses many rhetorical strategies to illustrate the conditions of the low wage workers including personal anecdotes of humiliation at interviews, lists of restrictions due to limited
On April 3, 1964, Malcom X published his famous speech named “The Ballot or the Bullet” and on 1963, the author Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter from jail to respond to eight white clergymen, who criticism him for unwise, untimely and extreme. The purposes of both writers are fight for civil rights and black liberation. They both use ethos, pathos and logos in their writings, which extremely useful in getting to their point to persuade the audiences to fight for their belief. Despite there are different between how they use these strategies but both use it very effective and produce very persuasive writings.
Jonathan Kozol revealed the early period’s situation of education in American schools in his article Savage Inequalities. It seems like during that period, the inequality existed everywhere and no one had the ability to change it; however, Kozol tried his best to turn around this situation and keep track of all he saw. In the article, he used rhetorical strategies effectively to describe what he saw in that situation, such as pathos, logos and ethos.
Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian details what can only be described as the kid's journey through hell. Throughout the novel McCarthy gives the reader the sensation of being in hell. The is brutal and unforgiving physical setting adds a hellish atmosphere in which there is no evidence of any morals or sympathy for the innocent. Judge Holden is even described in terms reminiscent of the devil. All of these factors lead the reader to compare the kid's journey through the Mexican-American border country with a descent into hell.
In a quote by John Mill, “Does fining a criminal show want of respect for property, or imprisoning him, for personal freedom? Just as unreasonable is it to think that to take the life of a man who has taken that of another is to show want of regard for human life. We show, on the contrary, most emphatically our regard for it, by the adoption of a rule that he who violates that right in another forfeits it for himself, and that while no other crime that he can commit deprives him of his right to live, this shall.” Everyone’s life is precious, but at what price? Is it okay to let a murderer to do as they please? Reader, please take a moment and reflect on this issue. The issue will always be a conflict of beliefs and moral standards. The topic
Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West (1985) is Cormac McCarthy's fifth book. McCarthy is an American novelist. He has written ten novels and he also won the Pulitzer Prize. Blood Meridian was among Time magazine's list of 100 best English-language books published between 1923 and 2005 [1] and placed joint runner-up in a poll taken in 2006 by The New York Times of the best American fiction published in the last 25 years [2]. This novel is known as one of the most violent books in literature. However, in this case the aim of this paper is to focus in other interesting aspect of the story: the use of religious imagery.
Pollan’s article provides a solid base to the conversation, defining what to do in order to eat healthy. Holding this concept of eating healthy, Joe Pinsker in “Why So Many Rich Kids Come to Enjoy the Taste of Healthier Foods” enters into the conversation and questions the connection of difference in families’ income and how healthy children eat (129-132). He argues that how much families earn largely affect how healthy children eat — income is one of the most important factors preventing people from eating healthy (129-132). In his article, Pinsker utilizes a study done by Caitlin Daniel to illustrate that level of income does affect children’s diet (130). In Daniel’s research, among 75 Boston-area parents, those rich families value children’s healthy diet more than food wasted when children refused to accept those healthier but
In 102 Minutes, Chapter 7, authors Dwyer and Flynn use ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to the readers’ consciences, minds and hearts regarding what happened to the people inside the Twin Towers on 9/11. Of particular interest are the following uses of the three appeals.
In the book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer wrote about Christopher McCandless, a nature lover in search for independence, in a mysterious and hopeful experience. Even though Krakauer tells us McCandless was going to die from the beginning, he still gave him a chance for survival. As a reader I wanted McCandless to survive. In Into the Wild, Krakauer gave McCandless a unique perspective. He was a smart and unique person that wanted to be completely free from society. Krakauer included comments from people that said McCandless was crazy, and his death was his own mistake. However, Krakauer is able to make him seem like a brave person. The connections between other hikers and himself helped in the explanation of McCandless’s rational actions. Krakauer is able to make McCandless look like a normal person, but unique from this generation. In order for Krakauer to make Christopher McCandless not look like a crazy person, but a special person, I will analyze the persuading style that Krakauer used in Into the Wild that made us believe McCandless was a regular young adult.
Violence is often used in literature by antagonists to symbolize evil and darkness, and to represent the brutal force that opposes the characters. However, in the novel Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, this is not the case. Violence in Blood Meridian is not used as a symbol of evil by the antagonist, but is used by all the main characters, including the protagonist, as a way of life. Blood Meridian is a fictional novel that documents the events of a character who is referred to as only “the kid”, as he joins the Glanton gang, a scalp hunting gang who targets Native Americans
Cormac McCarthy's setting in Blood Meridian is a landscape of endless and diverse beauty. McCarthy highlights the surprising beauty of combinations of scrubby plants, jagged rock, and the fused auburn and crimson colors of the fiery wasteland that frame this nightmarish novel. Various descriptions, from the desolate to the scenic, feature McCarthy's highly wrought, lyrical prose. Such descriptions of the divine landscape seem to serve a dual function. While being an isolated highlight to this gruesome novel, McCarthy's beautiful setting also serves as an intricate device in defining the novel's themes and creating the reality in which it is set.
In Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy describes a lawless and godless group of men ordained to cleanse the West of lesser people. This group wanders through the West leaving a trail of slaughtered people in their trail. The emptiness and ruthlessness of their hearts is reflected in the harsh and unforgiving landscape. McCarthy uses reoccurring themes of war, religion, and dance to paint a graphic picture of the savageness of life in the West.