Tigist Girma
Instructor: Aaron Clark
English 1301
4 January 2016
Rhetorical analysis of “Let it Snow” Often times when writing a book or a memoir, an author will use events from their own life to express certain ideas to their audience. In “Let it snow,” David Sedaris tells a story of his family focusing on one unique event that had a large impact on his life. His interesting narrative reveals David Sedaris’ writing techniques that make him a preeminent humorist. David Sedaris uses a writing strategy that is imaginative and appeals to an individual’s fantasy. From the first paragraph Sedaris leads his readers to believe that he will write story about how happy he was about the snowfall, mainly because “school was cancelled.”(163) Instead his main concern is to show his seemingly dysfunctional family. The relationship that existed between David’s mother and his siblings was outrageous. He …show more content…
He clearly reveals his uncompromised honesty when explaining his complicated family relationship. In one situation the audience is given a great description of a mother who is annoyed by her children’s presence, when he clearly states, “our presence had disrupted the secret life she led while we were at school, and when she could no longer take it she threw us out.”(163) Another example of the type of description that made David’s writing more appealing to his audience was his way of expressing his mother’s harshness, when he writes, “I rang the bell, and when no one answered we went to the window and saw our mother in the kitchen, watching television. Normally she waited until five o’clock to have a drink, but for the past few days she’d been making an exception.”(163) This descriptive statement gives the audience the intended negative impression about David’s mother. It also allows the reader to view the mother as a negligent and avoidant parent who does not want her children around because of her drinking
Instructor: Aaron Clark
English 1301
4 January 2016
Rhetorical analysis of “Let it Snow” Often times when writing a book or a memoir, an author will use events from their own life to express certain ideas to their audience. In “Let it snow,” David Sedaris tells a story of his family focusing on one unique event that had a large impact on his life. His interesting narrative reveals David Sedaris’ writing techniques that make him a preeminent humorist. David Sedaris uses a writing strategy that is imaginative and appeals to an individual’s fantasy. From the first paragraph Sedaris leads his readers to believe that he will write story about how happy he was about the snowfall, mainly because “school was cancelled.”(163) Instead his main concern is to show his seemingly dysfunctional family. The relationship that existed between David’s mother and his siblings was outrageous. He …show more content…
He clearly reveals his uncompromised honesty when explaining his complicated family relationship. In one situation the audience is given a great description of a mother who is annoyed by her children’s presence, when he clearly states, “our presence had disrupted the secret life she led while we were at school, and when she could no longer take it she threw us out.”(163) Another example of the type of description that made David’s writing more appealing to his audience was his way of expressing his mother’s harshness, when he writes, “I rang the bell, and when no one answered we went to the window and saw our mother in the kitchen, watching television. Normally she waited until five o’clock to have a drink, but for the past few days she’d been making an exception.”(163) This descriptive statement gives the audience the intended negative impression about David’s mother. It also allows the reader to view the mother as a negligent and avoidant parent who does not want her children around because of her drinking