Summary: The Rules Of Inheritance

Imagine a woman in solitary confinement housed in a jail cell secluded from the bustling outside world. In the memoir The Rules of Inheritance, Claire Bidwell Smith is emotionally isolated like a prisoner from a joyful life that lies ahead of her due to her battle with depression. Once she transitioned into a young adult, Claire struggled to stay afloat while dealing with stagnant relationships, a motherless figure to rely on for help, no friends to add comfort, and a dying father with recurrent cancer. As the author of The Rules of Inheritance, Claire has established a distinct purpose through the text of her memoir. Thanks to her use of her individual writing structure, unique literature style, and rhetorical devices Claire provides an insight

First, amplification was one rhetorical technique utilized to generate emphasis on the pain of losing a loved one. For example, the text stated on page 282, “Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad.” At that moment, Claire was holding on to her father’s hand as he took his last breaths. She repeatedly was calling his name in her head because Claire did not want for her dad to die, knowing that she will then have to live without any parents. Additionally, the author applied antanagoge to counter the grief. For example, the text stated on page 216, “As much as I miss my mother, I am glad she died first. Otherwise I would have buried my father without ever having known him.” Claire places a criticism and compliment together to lessen the impact of a death. Even though she struggled with the loss of her mother, she remained optimistic when spending time with her father. Lastly, in order for the author to articulate with detail the severity of managing a life with terminally ill parents, Claire included enumeratio. For example, the text stated on page 117, “Chemo, radiation, radical tests and treatments, a college semester dropped out of, a life completely changed.” To stress the struggle Claire had with adapting to the new situation, the author listed the everyday activities involved, creating the effect that the fight is never-ending. In short, amplification, antanagoge, and enumeratio were the rhetorical devices Claire used to provide emphasis on the struggles of handling