In Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel successfully utilizes a variety of rhetorical devices to persuade her audience to feel and think a certain way, especially through the use of Shakespearean motifs. Mandel uses Shakespearean motifs to bring up the topic of tragedy and devastation to show how much people will miss from their old world―the simple, convenient things in life―after devastation hits. By emphasizing this message, Mandel is also able to show that through art and culture, humanity can still be saved even after experiencing a catalytic event. This enables her audience to feel a sense of hope and optimism, something that is different from many post-apocalyptic novels.
Mandel incorporates Shakespearean motifs to first introduce the …show more content…
The Undersea people are fighting against Dr. Eleven and Captain Langston because they yearn to go home to earth, despite all the destructions. Mandel’s audience is made aware of the sorrows of the people through the words of Captain Langston to Dr. Eleven. Captain Langston states that “[Dr. Eleven] should try to understand them. All they want to is to see sunlight again. Can [he] blame them?"(83). The simple things, such as clouds and sunlight, were once taken for granted and now is something that people live for to see one more time. The art that Shakespeare embodies and is known for creating serves the same purpose as the comic Station Eleven because the comic acts as a symbol of the preservation of art. It is a constant reminder of Kristen’s older life and her memories of Arthur Leander, whom she holds dearly to her. The Shakespearean plays and the comic are examples of works of art that were intended to be just art, but they eventually become an entity that holds different types of beauty and meaning to every individual, mostly because of the memories that each person has with that item. These items evoke a feeling of happiness and hope during times of loss and hardship―a strong message Mandel is able to create through her rhetorical use of Shakespearean motifs. She is able to successfully appeal to her audience and makes them reevaluate the things they consider as important and
Mandel incorporates Shakespearean motifs to first introduce the …show more content…
The Undersea people are fighting against Dr. Eleven and Captain Langston because they yearn to go home to earth, despite all the destructions. Mandel’s audience is made aware of the sorrows of the people through the words of Captain Langston to Dr. Eleven. Captain Langston states that “[Dr. Eleven] should try to understand them. All they want to is to see sunlight again. Can [he] blame them?"(83). The simple things, such as clouds and sunlight, were once taken for granted and now is something that people live for to see one more time. The art that Shakespeare embodies and is known for creating serves the same purpose as the comic Station Eleven because the comic acts as a symbol of the preservation of art. It is a constant reminder of Kristen’s older life and her memories of Arthur Leander, whom she holds dearly to her. The Shakespearean plays and the comic are examples of works of art that were intended to be just art, but they eventually become an entity that holds different types of beauty and meaning to every individual, mostly because of the memories that each person has with that item. These items evoke a feeling of happiness and hope during times of loss and hardship―a strong message Mandel is able to create through her rhetorical use of Shakespearean motifs. She is able to successfully appeal to her audience and makes them reevaluate the things they consider as important and