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Rhetorical Analysis: A Pen By The Phone By Debra Anne Davis

777 Words4 Pages

“A Pen by the Phone” Rhetorical Essay Ringgg. Ringg. Hello, is this the home phone of Yuki Kang? Yes, however, she is not home at the moment. Oh, could you take a message? Yes, just a moment. I can’t find a pen. Imagine taking a significant call for a parent while trying to remember the message. One searches for something to write with; however, none is in sight. In, A Pen by the Phone, Debra Anne Davis uses appeals to humor and sweet tones to persuade the reader to live in simplicity, in which one can live in bliss. Debra Anne Davis appeals to humor and empathy by utilizing anecdotes and a selection of detail to sway the reader to live a simple life. Davis recounts a story surrounding her father’s reading that her family had told her about. …show more content…

As her father read the latest science book, she tied his hair with different accessories. Then, her mother reminded him to pick up their first-born daughter Beth. However, as he went to pick her up, he still had vibrant-colored accessories. Although this story holds a humorous ending, the moral of her father’s character is what is engrossing. Davis states, “But the central part of it is, I think, not that Dad had gone out in public like that but that he didn’t even realize what he looked like. That he was so un-selfconscious, so satisfied with each moment he was living that he could become absolutely absorbed in an article about telescopes or moon rockets—and not even notice a three-year-old pulling on his hair, snapping barrettes into place, patting her handywork into perfection.” This quote demonstrates the character of her father’s personality; how his focus on a single book led him toward a simple yet blissful life. The anecdote …show more content…

While providing characterizations about her father, she uses a charming manner. Whether describing him as a “comforting sight” or his “gentle way” of obtaining his few wants, she uses a lovely tone. This style allows the reader to comprehend Davis’ love for her father, which lets the reader trust Davis. This trust entitles Davis to persuade the reader to live like her father. In addition, Davis uses anaphora in a lovable tone to further convince readers that they should live a simple life. She states, “... at that time: He was there, I was there, his reading lamp was on, the house was warm, and all was right with the universe.” Her repetition of the subject and “was” emphasizes the cozy atmosphere that allowed her father to live in the moment in simplicity. The emphasis of the comfortability portrays a lovely tone. Her usage of a lovable and sweet fashion enables her to gain the trust of the reader. Thus, she gains the ability to sway the reader in favor of her argument that one should live a simplistic

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All of these factors combine and work well together to form a well-executed argument within Cullington’s essay. Cullington begins her essay by addressing her opposition: “It’s taking over our lives” (pg. 361). She cites studies done that suggest that a decline in the quality of students’ formal writing has occurred since the advent of text messaging, and she also cites teachers who believe that their own students’ works are influenced for the worse by the students’ being accustomed to texting and using textspeak. Cullington then proposes her opposing position that the writing of students is unaffected by their use of texting and text speak. She also cites studies that support her thesis that text messaging and textspeak do not have an effect on

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