Rhetorical Devices In Wit

In Wit , a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Margaret Edson, the audience witnesses Vivian Bearing’s journey, and hopeless battle with ovarian cancer. Edson uses a soliloquy as a tone used to reveal the feelings and emotional state of Vivian. She uses the soliloquy to give Vivian a chance to express how she is feeling and what she is thinking in every part of the play. By using the soliloquy, Edson manages to cite sympathy, rather than pity, in the audience by showing the constant struggle that Vivian faces. Edson uses E.M. Ashford, a former professor of Vivian Bearing, as a foil character who shares the same passion for literature as Vivian. Edson uses irony and flashbacks to show how Vivian chooses literature over enjoying her life. The use of language that Edson creates provides emotional comfort and connection. Towards the end of the play, Edson brings back Ashford and we see Vivian’s realization that there is more to life than just literature, as Ashford had said many years ago. …show more content…
I'm a little sorry I'll miss that." This blunt and clever comment reflects upon Vivian's attitude. She loses sight of the fact that the essence of teaching is to help other people, not to help one's self. Edson uses subtle hints throughout the play to reveal that Vivian may be using her mocking statements as a shield from the reality of her own death. “Cancer is the only thing I’ve ever wanted”, says Jason, former student of Bearing and fellow oncology worker of Dr. Kelekian. When he says this he is referring to his passion in medical research, but Edson demonstrates this statement vividly by showing the contrast between Jason and Bearing. Cancer, of course, was the last thing that Bearing had