ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of Asyndeton

406 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Aristotle ethos pathos and logos

Raghuram Venkatapuram English, Period B7 9/19/16 Rhetorical Analysis Essay Excerpt from “Preface to A Dictionary of the English Language” - By Samuel Johnson. In this excerpt, Samuel Johnson’s feelings about dictionary writers is are very strong, in a sense that he has a direct emotional appeal on the reader about how they, the dictionary writers, are often neglected. In this essay, I will focus on two rhetorical terms - ‘asyndeton’ and, from Aristotle’s Three Appeals, ‘Pathos’ or emotion. The idea coming from these two terms have a profound impact on Johnson’s writing. Overall, the tone is a mix between sad and mad. Right away, you can see how the first rhetorical term ‘asyndeton’ has an impact on the excerpt. The first section goes on talking about how some jobs don’t receive praise for doing something that is beneficial to the community as a whole. In the excerpt it states “...to be exposed to censure, without hope of praise; to be disgraced by miscarriage, or punished for neglect…” The sentence becomes rushed and with that, there’s lots of emotional thoughts. That’s where ‘Pathos’ comes into play. The words …show more content…

The second section is about how dictionary writers have paved the road for Learning and Genius, but at the same time have not received any recognition whatsoever. The term ‘asyndeton’ has been used mainly in the first sentence. Johnson writes, “...whom mankind have considered, not as the pupil, but as the slave of science, the pioneer of literature, doomed only to remove rubbish and clear obstructions from the paths of Learning and Genius, who press forward to conquest and glory…” This, again, shows the way that Johnson used the idea of the term ‘asyndeton’ to speed up the rhythm of the sentence and to push forth the emotional appeal (Pathos). In the excerpt, it says “...the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach and even this negative recompense has been yet granted to very

Show More
Related
1173 Words | 5 Pages

Pathos is when the speech appeals to the audience’s emotions. President Abraham Lincoln uses pathos is this speech to console the audience for the losses that the country has endured during the Civil War. Lincoln uses pathos to convey sadness when he says, “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.” When saying this Lincoln appeals to the people’s emotions by explaining that their loved ones struggled there and he also appeals to the feeling of pride they feel for their loved ones who dedicated their lives to their cause. Another example of pathos in this speech is, “...that from these honored dead we take increased devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain…”

Read More
850 Words | 4 Pages

I’m not thinking the way I used I think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading.” (Carr 557). This is an effective use of pathos because it draws the reader to question whether or not their way of thinking is changing as well. Carr is trying to create this connection, so the audience feels exactly what he is feeling and is successful at doing so.

Read More
1846 Words | 8 Pages

Pathos is used to manipulate the viewers emotionally and uses words of emotion. Ethos, unlike pathos, is a more

Read More
220 Words | 1 Pages

In the excerpt, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris, there is an abundant use of pathos in an attempt to relate to his audience. Sedaris uses a combination of seemingly displaced letters to form a nonexistent word. He does this in order to convey his misunderstanding of this foreign language. For instance, words such as, “... meimslsxp… igpdmurct… [and] apzkiubjxow” (Sedaris 11), represent his lack of understanding for what is being spoken. His ability to be open and express his true feelings enables him to gain the respect of his audience early on, as he is expressing himself, and is seen as relatable.

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

From beginning to end, Aristotle’s captivating reading, Crito, is composed with of the three rhetorical devices: logos, pathos, and ethos. Consequentialy, one of the existent rhetorical devices is more robust than the others. Whilst logos and pathos spawn well-founded emotional and logical enticement, the most indisputable rhetorical device used throughout the story is ethos. Undoubtably, ethos is the utmost evident rhetorical device in the story, Crito, as Socrates honorably stood by his morals, even after Crito tried to prompt the man to abandon them; demonstrating his thickness of character, integrity, and honesty.

Read More
992 Words | 4 Pages

Pathos is a rhetorical device used for providing emotion to the reader. He wants the reader to feel sympathetic towards the mistreatment of African-Americans. In the introduction, the first rhetorical device he introduced is pathos. Coates present pathos when he introduced Clyde Ross. He titles the first chapter as, “So that’s just one of my losses”.

Read More
950 Words | 4 Pages

Nightjohn, a novel written by Gary Paulsen, takes location throughout one of the finest periods of prejudice and racism in American records. Nightjohn is the story of a young slave lady named Sarny. Within the book, Sarny meets any other slave named Nightjohn, he teaches Sarny a way to study and write. Ultimately, after Nightjohn is punished for coaching Sarny, he runs away, however, later he returns to complete coaching Sarny. Sarny failed to accept the fact that she was a slave or the unfairness in opposition to her prevent her from learning.

Read More
671 Words | 3 Pages

In the play Julius Caesar by William shakespeare, Caesar is murdered by the senators of rome, to prevent his power hungry ego from destroying their beloved city. During Caesar's funeral, both Marc Antony and brutus give speeches. Both speeches contain athos, which appeals to emotions, and rhetorical questions, these emphasize both of the speeches in different ways. Although Brutus is a convincing orator, Antony's uses a more effective form of rhetorical questions and pathos, which evokes feelings in the audience.. Pathos is a technique used in writing in order to appeal to the reader's emotions.

Read More
865 Words | 4 Pages

In 1762 writing a letter to someone was a personal act which tend to be a hassle to mail because of the lack of technology, yet this woman in hope of sending her son to university went through all the trouble to write a letter to Johnson, a man she does not know asking for a risky favor. One day Samuel Johnson receives a letter from a woman he does not know, and to make matters worse she asks him for a big favor. Johnson was confounded as would most individual if they were to receive a letter from an unknown person asking for a favor. While Johnson pondered what his response to this woman’s outrageous request would be, he later found a way to let her down easily. Johnson does so in his letter to her by using syntax and diction to help him

Read More
929 Words | 4 Pages

The pathos is that some of the feeling is right someone that wright to learn something. When someone doesn’t know something they feel bad because they get teased at

Read More
443 Words | 2 Pages

Afterwards he uses pathos in an effective way is when he brings back a parent’s feelings toward their children. This is

Read More
526 Words | 3 Pages

Pathos emotionally connects with the reader. Outliers shows many examples, one would be the story of 12-year-old Marita living in a one-bedroom apartment with her mom. To reach her success “I wake up at five-forty-five a.m. to get a head start, I brush my teeth, shower. I get some breakfast at school, if I am running late…” (Gladwell, 264).

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

The definition of pathos is the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity, or of sympathetic and kindly sorrow or compassion. In other words, it is a way that authors and/or writers get to the audience’s emotions. Spurlock uses pathos by affecting the emotions of his audience with children. The beginning of the documentary shows kids singing and dancing. That automatically affects people’s emotions.

Read More
700 Words | 3 Pages

However, it is effective in Gladwell’s short stories. Pathos evokes strong feelings that we can relate to as the reader, thus making the short stories more effective and the physiological hypothesis discussed easier to understand. In the excerpt is an example, “Boss ran up the street toward Westchester Avenue because he had lost track in the shouting and the shooting of where they were. Later, when the ambulances arrived, he was so distraught, he could not speak… next to Diallo’s bullet-ridden body, and started to cry.” (Gladwell 194)

Read More
1244 Words | 5 Pages

The IAT Harvard survey consisted of multiple topics regarding race, genders, thoughts on sexuality and so on. One topic was if one prefers European Americans over African Americans. Surprisingly, the results were that most people strongly prefer European Americans over the other. Why is that? Maybe it’s because many people place stereotypes and other ideals towards another individual, whether they have a different skin tone, whether they are male or female, as well as other characteristics one may notice.

Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of Asyndeton

Open Document