Irony

Author, as a basic element of the rhetorical situation. The content and style of A Modest Proposal were the result of Jonathan Swift's position, identity, and sensibilities. Swift was not an Englishman, but an Irishman. In addition, he was a man of the cloth, which no doubt afforded him a clear view of the sufferings of his people. He was also wise enough and educated enough to understand the nature of the injustices visited upon his people by the English, as well as the English attitude toward…

The Outsiders Characters Everyone has their favorite characters and least favorite characters in every book or movie. In the book and the movie, The Outsiders, there are many different characters with different personalities, looks, and actions. Some can even easily relate to some characters throughout the whole book, with their personality, looks, or physical traits. Also, those people also chose who they think would be their BFF, who would be their frenemy, and who would be the person that…

In the mock press release from The Onion, the author(s) illustrate how products are marketed to consumers by using very bold claims and outlandish customer reviews to portray the message in a satirical fashion. This use of satire sparks pulls on the pathos of the reader and allows for a more engaging experience for the reader. The author(s) of this passage use satire to its fullest effect through outlandish claims. A prime example of these foolish would be, "If the frequency of one’s foot…

Laughter is the best medicine. Making someone laugh is one of the greatest feelings in the world, whenever I make someone laugh it brightens up my day. Brian Regan understands this. Brian Regan is one of the most creative, and confident people I know, and is a huge influence on who I am as a person. Brian Regan has a very unique act. He makes jokes about normally mundane things and makes them seem surreal. You would think that to make a joke about eating Fig Newtons funny, you would have to be…

Nestruck effectively employs humour in his essay “The importance of email punctuation”. His essay shows how each type of punctuation can carry a connotation of either seriousness or cordiality. Unfortunately for Nestruck, it is the former that has caught his attention while reading an email sent to him from a coworker whom he has feelings for. Using hyperbole and metaphors such as “And as she recedes into the distance, I will be left standing there like an ellipsis. Two little bulletholes…

In the letter to the Woman’s National Press Club, written in 1960 criticizing the tendency of the American press to sacrifice journalistic integrity in favor of the perceived public demand for sensationalist stories, American journalist and politician Clare Boothe Luce exhibits an accusatory tone through her use of syntax, employs ethos in the fact that she is also a journalist just like her audience, and arouses pathos through directly attacking journalism but also incorporates the positives…

Dave Barry and Joan Didion are both exceptional writers who are loved by many, but they are admired for different aspects of their writing. Barry teaches his readers through humor while Didion tries to translate her thoughts and feelings within an essay to her readers, so that they too can experience the same horrors and delights as she once did. From the get go, both authors establish their writing styles. “As a mature adult… to eat them” (Barry). Instantly, Barry proclaims his essay’s purpose…

In Alain de Button’s Status Anxiety, he argues that humorists say things that others refuse to say. Therefore, he ranks humorists as a vital function in society. He could not be more accurate. Humorists make topics enjoyable and easily comprehensible and pave the way for future discussions on sensitive topics. Humorists make controversial topics entertaining. An example of this would be Saturday Night Live’s Cold Opens on the recent Presidential debates. These parodic shorts make bland,…

“The possibility of Evil” a short story written by Shirley Jackson contains many examples of symbolism. Miss Strangeworth chose the colours pink, green, and blue because each colour is truly symbolic and has its own story. Pink is a delicate colour that is often associated with love, babies, and princesses. It is a happy colour that has a soft touch to it. Miss Strangeworth's biggest concern was that the “little girl is going to grow up expecting luxury all her life” (251). Sending a pink…

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, is a unique piece of literature that captures absurdity through humor. Douglas Adams use of absurdity sheds a light on the broader human emotions using ridiculousness and silliness. He uses the incongruity theory of humor, when something violates our mental patterns and expectations, to mix humor and irrational events to bring laughter. While the book and the movie have many differences, they both still hold the theme of absurdity, where very few things end…