John Steinbeck’s renown allegory East of Eden explores the characteristics of human nature, including the potent principle of free will. Steinbeck’s use of rhetorical strategies throughout the passage enables him to illustrate his message, emphasizing the significance of creativity in the essence of humanity and the threats against it. Steinbeck utilizes various elements of vivid language, rhetorical appeal, and style to elucidate his argument, urging individuals to fight for their free will and to assert their individuality. Steinbeck’s use of metaphor in the first paragraph depicts the extent of the significance of free will through his vivid comparison of individuality to the “glory [that] lights up the mind of a man.” (Steinbeck 1) His …show more content…
His use of the word monstrous indicates that the lack of free will dehumanizes individuals, further asserting the importance of individuality. His statement that “I will fight against it to preserve the one thing that separates us from the uncreative beasts” (Steinbeck 38-39) reiterates how free will distinguishes humans from monsters through Steinbeck’s use of the word beast. Steinbeck’s diction here allows him to emphasize the importance of creativity in humanity and supports his plea to readers to fight for their free will. Consisting of pathos, his use of this rhetorical strategy relies on the readers’ fear of losing their humanity to render his argument effective. His ending remark that “It is a sad suicidal course our species seems to have taken” (Steinbeck 32) and “If the glory can be killed, we are lost” (Steinbeck 39) further utilizes pathos to invoke fear in readers and to persuade individuals to fight to preserve their humanity, manipulating readers’ fear of losing their identity to encourage them to assert their