Rhetorical Analysis Author Ta-Nehisi Coates in his book Between the World and Me discusses impactful racial issues in American history and educates his son on the past and current realities of being a black American. At the beginning of the book, Coates imposes the question: “How do I live freely in this black body?” (Coates 12). Although he believes that this question is unanswerable, Coates’ purpose is to express his deepest concerns for his son and to help him understand his personal experiences as a black man. He achieves his purpose by incorporating rhetorical skills such as ethos, pathos, and logos. Coates has been a successful journalist and writer for several years. He previously worked for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and O …show more content…
Anaphora: “Here there were African drummers assembling in Union Square. Here there were dead office towers, brought to life at night by restaurants buried within that served small kegs of beer and Korean fried chicken. Here there were black girls with white boys, and black boys with Chinese-American girls, and Chinese-American girls with Dominican boys, and Dominican boys with Jamaican boys and every other imaginable combination” (Coates 92). 5. Anaphora: “I did not die in my aimless youth. I did not perish in the agony of not knowing” (Coates 129). 6. Allusion: “Our current politics tell you that should you fall victim to such an assault and lose your body, it somehow must be your fault. Trayvon Martin’s hoodie got him killed. Jordan Davis’ loud music did the same. John Crawford should never have touched the rifle on display. Kajieme Powell should have known not to be crazy” (Coates 130). 7. Epistrophe: “Think of your mother, who had no father. And your grandmother, who was abandoned by her father. And your grandfather, who was left behind by his father” (Page 82). 8. Personification: “But now your mother had gone and done it, and when she returned her eyes were dancing with all the possibilities out there, not just for her but for you and for me” (Coates