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I M So Lonesome I Could Cry Rhetorical Devices

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“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” is a timeless song about heartbreak, anguish, sorrow, and loneliness. Written and performed in 1949 by Hank Williams Sr., this song tells the story of his troubled relationship with his first wife, Audrey Williams, and his struggle with alcoholism. Through the use of many rhetorical devices, this song resonates with audiences throughout the ages and causes them to empathize with Williams. His use of many rhetorical devices, combined with the poetic lyrics and the mournful melody, paints a picture of lost love and crippling loneliness. But two rhetorical devices in particular that convey his message of heartbreak and sorrow. Through the use of imagery and personification, Hank Williams appeals to the pathos of his audience in the song “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” According to Rolling Stone, before performing it in a 1973 concert in Hawaii, Elvis Presley described “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” as “probably one of the saddest songs [he had] ever heard.” It comes as no surprise considering the first two lines of the song are “Hear that lonesome whippoorwill / He sounds to blue to fly.” From these lines the listener can tell that it is a song about heartbreak and sorrow, and from a rhetorical standpoint it is clear that this is an appeal to pathos. But some may question what made Williams …show more content…

They also assist him in using imagery and personification. As shown when Williams sings “The silence of a falling star / Lights up a purple sky (Line 13, 14),” the use of the words “silence” and “falling” helps Williams turn the image of a shooting star into something somber and

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