Rhetorical Analysis Of Heroes By Tim O Brien

In Tim O’Brien’s speech “Heroes,” O’Brien describes what he defines as a hero. O’Brien describes a hero as someone who is not fooled by what is going on around them. To personify his definition of a hero, O’Brien uses Elroy Birdall, an old man he met before he made his decision on whether or not he was going to dodge the draft, to show how Birdall has met his criteria of a hero is. O’Brien uses physical descriptions of Birdall to convey his message. Birdall is described by O’Brien as “tiny” and “shrunken” (O’Brien 277). These descriptions of Birdall communicates to the audience that Birdall has been around for a while and has lived through tough times and as a result of this, come out as a strong and sagacious man. This description of Birdall is further solidified when O’Brien describes Birdall as his definition of a hero, someone who is not easily “fooled” (277). Due to this imagery and descriptions, a mental picture of Birdall is painted and as a result, Birdall is now relatable to the audience. …show more content…
When discussing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution with Birdall, O’Brien shows how the old man has logos by including a quote from Birdall stating that if you agree for the war, you should fight it or send someone you care for to fight it (278). This furthers the notion that Birdall is wise and as a result, logos is appealed to. Since O’Brien describes Birdall as old, ethos is appealed to since the age serves as a metaphor for wisdom since the old have been through life and learned many life lessons as a result. This is seen when O’Brien states that Birdall knew why he was at the fishing resort and his reasoning for it without having to ask. Due to this appeal to ethos, O’Brien’s claim of definition of a hero is reinforced to the