Rhetorical Strategies In The Things They Carried

Each author has a way of expressing their intended purpose to their audience, many do so by using rhetorical strategies. A rhetorical device is a way to convey meaning or to persuade. Rhetorical strategies are found in every piece of writing but we generally do not realize it. In the speeches by Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, they use rhetorical strategies to convey their messages. In Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried, rhetorical devices are found throughout his writing. Between these three different texts, rhetorical devices such as similes, personification, irony, and aporia are found throughout their writings as well as others. The authors use them to further expand their own personal purpose.
President Ronald Reagan and his, “Evil Empire Speech,” from March 8th of 1983 is full of rhetorical strategies. Ronald Reagan’s speech was based on his belief that religion was important in the American life as well as government. He provided his …show more content…
This brief and short chapter provides a few rhetorical strategies, beginning with irony. “I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth,” and later at the end of the chapter, “"Daddy, tell the truth," Kathleen can say, "did you ever kill anybody?" And I can say, honestly, "Of course not." Or I can say, honestly, "Yes." The author uses irony to confuse the reader and make them question what is the author’s real meaning. The final strategy used in the short chapter is anaphora. O’Brien uses the repetition of the word “I can” to explain how stories can make things present making him go back to that time in his