Rhetorical Analysis On Expansion And Movement By Scott Russell Sanders

Scott Russell Sanders uses the rhetorical strategies of parallelism and rhetorical questions in order to demonstrate his dislike for moving.

Sanders uses parallel structure throughout his essay to demonstrate the current society’s value on expansion and movement. For instance, Sanders speaks of Americans who “have dug the most canals, laid the most rails, built the most roads” (Sanders 18-19) and because of this Americans have the most power. Sanders uses it to express the societal view that easy access to migration route makes one more important because movement is the key to life. Sanders develops a connection with the audience through the use of parallelism by demonstrating that he understands their interest in movement and the

He provides a historical allusion to the Dust Bowl in which he says it “was caused not by drought but by the transfer onto the Great Plains of farming methods that were suitable to wetter regions” (Sanders 56-59). This demonstrates the negative results that come from migration because the farmers had originally lived in a climate that could tolerate the excessive farming, but when they moved, they did not account for the climate change, so they ended up hurting both themselves and their environment. Through the expression of the negative results of the mass migration in history, Sanders impacts his audience by invoking a sense of fear within them, so the audience is more likely to support Sanders position. The audience does not want to harm any aspect of their life, so a greater motivation to remain in the place where they have established their roots is create. The impact on the environment and one’s way of life causes Sanders to appreciate “People who root themselves in places” (Sanders 73) and believe that “By settling in, we have a chance of making a durable home for ourselves, our fellow creatures, and our descendants” (Sanders 78-80). The use of rhetorical devices, such as parallelism and rhetorical questions, builds towards Sanders’ ultimate claim, so when it is finally made, he has already swayed the reader to understand the consequences related to migration. He begins with the