The writer, Jessica Mitford, in her descriptive essay, “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain,” illustrates in graphic detail the secrets of embalming. The purpose of Mitford’s essay is to expose the inhumanity with the process of embalming and to demonstrate how out of touch North Americans are with common funeral practices. She adopts a dark but sarcastic tone when describing the steps to embalming, in order to persuade the American and Canadian adult readers that it is barbaric and absurd. The literary elements that are the strongest in her essay are imagery, satire with oxymoron and metaphor verbiage. The writer creates a sardonic tone by detailing the methods of embalming in a matter of fact and sarcastic way. She incorporates the literary