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Rhetorical Analysis Of Friends And Such Good Friends By Judith Viorst

588 Words3 Pages

In the essay "Friends, Good Friends - And Such Good Friends," Judith Viorst argues that different levels of friendship exist, ranging from casual acquaintances to best friends, and that it is essential to recognize these various types of friendships. Viorst employs rhetorical devices, such as contrast using anecdotes and parenthesis to include humor and evoke pathos to explore the nuances of friendships. Her purpose is to examine different friendships by reflecting on what makes a good friend and offering insight into how readers can identify and appreciate true friendships in their lives. She writes in a light-hearted and conversational tone to encourage Redbook readers, typically young adult women, to invest energy into meaningful friendships. …show more content…

Viorst shares personal stories in each section about her friends to share the delights and challenges of these relationships since she divides the essay into the different categories of friendships. The different classifications of friends are "medium friends, and pretty good friends, and very good friends indeed" (Viorst 4). In one of the earlier sections of the text, she brings up the idea of "special-interest friends." She adds that "these friendships are not intimate"; however, "their value lies in shared interests." She continues by describing her special interest friend, who happens to be a "shopping friend," whom Viorst is "glad to have" (Viorst 2). Directly following this section, she writes about "historical friends." She describes this type of friendship as " having a sister without sibling rivalry" and knowing "the texture of each other's lives" (Viorst 2). The writer consciously places these two categories consecutively to emphasize the difference between the two; one where the friendship is not as strong and another where the friendship lasts forever. Viorst uses this contrast to support her point further that friendships can be classified, and some friendships can have more value than others, but they both serve a purpose in one's

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