Bell Hooks Seeing And Making Culture Analysis

Cool and Witty Title about My Essay
“Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor” is an essay by cultural writer Bell Hooks. The essay is published in an anthology of her other works revolving around the culture of black Americans and how they are perceived, called Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representation. The poor are represented in an awful light in western culture, according to hooks. She uses the facts from people she has worked with and interviewed, hones it by using powerful, emotionally charged words for her audience of middle to upper class white people, and builds herself up as an authority to create a solid, efficient argument.
Hooks appeals of logic are effective, though perhaps lacking. Much of her evidence is circumstantial, …show more content…
She utilizes hyperbole by saying that “it is impossible for the younger generation to move forward” and uses the term “no one” several times, instead of “many” to get her point across— the impact poor representation cases is damaging in more ways than one. She mentions it damages self esteem when people are seen as morally bankrupt if they have no money. Her exaggeration makes things more emotionally charged.. She utilizes the strong phrase that “no one cares” to rile up the audience into seeing her side of things saying that it’s impossible for the younger generation to see past their situation and inflicts mental agony on them, and the middle class doesn’t seem to care at all. She is at first inflammatory with her words by her statement that no one cares, then placates the audience by providing ways that they can help fix the problem as a group effort. Hooks uses her words shrewdly, being descriptive and unique in her wording. For example, she uses the phrase “psychically painful” instead of “mentally painful,” prompting the reader to read it again, as it is both unique and could easily be read wrong if one is not reading