ipl-logo

Ambiguity In Three Cups Of Tea By David Relin

1536 Words7 Pages

Three Cups of Ambiguity
In Three Cups of Tea, David Relin recounts Greg Mortenson’s story of building schools in impoverished villages across Pakistan. In a narrative style, Relin sparks emotion among the readers and inspires philanthropic action in support of Mortenson’s vision—providing education for underprivileged children. As a result, the Central Asia Institute that funds Mortenson’s school-building project, received a massive raise in donations. The book and charity’s successes are results of Relin’s clever use of ambiguity within his story-telling. The lack of clarity within the book allows readers to project themselves into the story and establish an intimate connection with subject. On the other hand, the overuse of ambiguity also …show more content…

Relin includes vague, but familiar personal struggles within the story, such as a bad break up and career struggle. The reader is able to empathize with Mortenson and again, create an emotional association with the protagonist. Relin uses this emotional association to establish trust in Mortenson and his future projects. Phoel argues that “it’s critical here not to spell out every detail of the future you imagine. What you want to do instead is invite the audience to envision for themselves what the future will look like” (Phoel). In last chapter, Stones into Schools, Relin employs this technique when he describes the future of Mortenson’s philanthropic efforts. Mortenson meets with Sadhar Khan to discuss the locations of new schools and he thinks about “[the] new languages to learn, new customs to blunder through . . . [and the] dangers he couldn’t yet imagine which loomed over his route like thunderheads” (Relin 331). Relin emphasizes that Mortenson will continue his philanthropic efforts, but he allows each individual reader to imagine a unique future that he, personally, desires Mortenson to create. For example, Relin mentions new languages, but he allows the reader to imagine what this language will be. This inspiring idea draws on the emotion of the readers and urges them to donate towards Mortenson’s charity in hopes that their envisioned future will become a

Show More
Related
646 Words | 3 Pages

Greg witnessed how much poverty there was in Pakistan. Greg wanted to help these good people by building them a school. Greg fundraised, quit his job, and spent all his money for the school in Korphe. Greg

Read More
1375 Words | 6 Pages

“A Modest Proposal” & Angela's Ashes Compared In the memoir of Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt in chapter VII he reads to a nearly blind man named Mr. Timoney, Jonathan Swift’s masterpiece “A Modest Proposal.” It is ironic due to the fact that the memoir as a whole can relate to the the passage of “A Modest Proposal.” Both of these works can compare and in the aspects of Irish poverty, yet they contrast very much due to the fact that one of the authors actually lived through it and the other just discusses things about it. Both authors use narration, tones, and imagery in their writing to convey their ideas and shape their work.

Read More
508 Words | 3 Pages

He meets a Pakistani man who owns a computer store and teaches him how to type his letters on a word processor. Mortenson then sends out many letters but receives only a $100 check from television news anchor. Mortenson’s mother tries to help out by collecting $600 dollars from students at her school where she in now a principal. Motenson then starts having a relationship with a very beautiful woman named Marina Villard who also has a passion for climbing. He loves spending time with Marina and her two daughters but since Mortenson is now living in his car and is putting every penny he gets towards the project, problems start coming up in the relationship.

Read More
1743 Words | 7 Pages

A Comparison of George Saunders Works Jayme Fields Central Ohio Technical College Abstract This paper is an analysis, interpretation, and comparison of two different readings “The Red Bow” and “Adams” written by the same author, George Saunders. It is my thoughts on the literary elements used by the author and my perception on what each paper conveyed. Each paragraph explains my discernment of each of the elements and how they made the story what it is. red bow, Adams in his underwear Main Body

Read More
657 Words | 3 Pages

In the article, “Slow Ideas”, Atul Gawande utilizes personal and historical anecdotes to further strengthen his claims. He often transitions between stories by asking the audience a critical question and then providing his stance on this issue. This strategy allows for a paper that flows well, and also maintains a high level of interest from the audience. This is because the questions often cause the reader to stop and think about their own take on the situation. After posing a question, Gawande then transitions into explaining the problem through the use of a narrative example.

Read More
1027 Words | 5 Pages

Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” examines the proposal of consuming human flesh in order to solve the dilemma of the Potato Famine, in which drought was exacerbated by crop failures, and this tribulation of the Irish was largely snubbed by English landowners. His ironic persona (speaker), is one of confidence, reason, and worth. In addition, this persona presents a multitude of rhetorical strategies to prepare the audience for this overly deranged proposal, ranging from juxtapositions, to using emotion, reason, and credibility, to persuade the reader. Therefore, the ironic persona in “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift illustrates a wide assortment of rhetorical devices to convey the solution to the Potato Famine, and more broadly, Swift intended this ironic platform to serve as an expository of the avarice of landowners and their gain for self-interest.

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

The first time one is able to comprehend the meaning of a word is a momentous childhood moment that is forever engraved in one’s memory. Books and reading are significantly impactful to people’s lives; Mark Twain said that, “books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.” This statement is apropo for Sherman Alexie, who was a Native American living on a reservation during the time he learned to read. Sherman Alexie convinces his audience that an education is crucial to being successful by using personal anecdotes to captivate and create a connection with his audience and repetition to reiterate the importance of having an education. Alexie's use of personal anecdotes fortifies the impact he has on his audience.

Read More
983 Words | 4 Pages

Mohammed Ismail AP Language Composition Lyons, William December 9, 2014 Rhetorical Devices Used in Jonathan Swifts Modest Proposal The essay Modest Proposal, written by Jonathan Swift perhaps known better for his novel Gulliver’s travels wrote this piece, because during his time he addressed solutions to many contemporary social issues by writing them on pamphlets. Swift’s main purpose in writing this essay is to avert children from being less of a problem to their parents and the public. The author tries not addressing his subject directly, children, instead Swift introduces the concept of a market, livestock, breeders, etc., to address the overcrowding and poverty stricken children in Dublin, Ireland.

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

Swift makes extensive use of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos within the first eight paragraphs to create a strong initial argument that captures the audience’s attention and provide assurance that the information presented is viable. Swift starts with an appeal to Pathos by describing the state of Ireland: “the Streets, the Roads, and Cabin-Doors, crowded with Beggars of the female Sex, followed by three, four, or six Children, all in Rags, and importuning every Passenger for an Alms” (Swift, 1). The description of Ireland leaves a gloomy effect on the audience, as they are met with a somber tone set forth by a description on how thousands of people are affected by the poverty in Ireland. Swift continues this appeal to Pathos by describing the state of families within this poverty: “this prodigious number of Children, in the Arms, or on the Backs, or at the heels of their Mothers, and frequently of their Fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the Kingdom, a very great additional grievance” (Swift, 2). This description of the melancholy state of Ireland creates an emotional appeal because, the thought of having mass amounts of children being forced to cling to their Mothers and Fathers in a desperate struggle for survival, is a morose image.

Read More
1163 Words | 5 Pages

Ever thought about consuming a one-year-old baby with nice plump features? Most people will not consider such an immoral act; however, desperate times may force people to make difficult choices. This is the case in Dublin, Ireland in the late 1720’s. The attainment of human rights in the fullest sense cannot be achieved so long as hundreds of millions of poverty-stricken people lack the necessities of life. As a call to reform, Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal.”

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

In Susan Glaspell's play “Trifles,” there is a difference between the men and women’s way of perceiving evidence to Mr. Wright’s murder case. The men spend most of their time searching for solid evidence upstairs where Mr. Wright's murder takes place. However, the women spend most of their time in Mrs. Wright’s kitchen. Instead of seeking tangible evidence, they inspect the condition of the items and acknowledge how they have been muddled around. Different perspectives lead to a variety of discoveries such as the women’s way of perceiving evidence.

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

Just like how the idiomatic expression “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” is perceived, ‘moral values’, to a different person, has a distinct meaning. Moral values, more often than not, are defined according to the cultural beliefs. Each culture has its own sets of rules and beliefs to determine what is crucial, trivial, right, wrong, good and bad. For instance, it is vital for Chinese children to practice filial piety as it is an essential value of Chinese traditional culture (POŠKAITĖ, 2014); hence, living with parents, regardless of the marital status, is the right thing to do for it is good. On the contrary, Western children are not entitled to such obligation.

Read More
1307 Words | 6 Pages

Rebecca McKenney History and Film Doctor Desai 27 January 2018 Behind Mud Walls: Analysis William and Charlotte Wiser and Susan S. Wadley traveled to a village in India called Karimpur in which they observed the culture of the village during the course of seventy-five years. They recorded these observations in the book, Behind Mud Walls: Seventy-Five Years in a North Indian Village (Wiser, William, et al., University of California Press, 2000, 381 pages.) In the first chapter, Wiser discusses the challenges of interacting with the villagers of Karimpur upon their initial arrival. Suspicious that the Wisers were officials ready to take advantage of them, the Wisers had to slowly gain their trust by offering medical help to both the villagers

Read More
533 Words | 3 Pages

Mike Rose shares his personal story to the public in “I just wanna be average”, as he reveals the many flaws within the educational system of a high school in an economically depressed neighborhood in Los Angeles. He effectively directs his arguments towards both educators and parents by utilizing emotional and logical appeals. By convincing the audience to fear that children placed on remedial tracks are being hindered rather than assisted, the author causes both awareness and a feeling of duty to change the way we handle teaching children. Rose presents his argument by aiding the reader through the eyes of his younger self as he retells the story of his years in high school.

Read More
835 Words | 4 Pages

How powerful is a single story? At Ted Global 2009, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian novelist, expresses her view of single stories and the ways in which they are used to create stereotypes and divides us as a people. Adichie’s talk, “The Danger of a Single Story”, stimulates careful consideration to what happens when people and situations are reduced to a single narrative. She believes single stories are highly correlated with the power structures of the world and have the ability to strip people of their humanity.

Read More

More about Ambiguity In Three Cups Of Tea By David Relin

Related Topics

Open Document