Rhetorical Analysis: The Horrible Waste Of War

War reporter Ernie Pyle in a eulogy about the aftermath of D-day titled "The Horrible Waste of War" (1944) explains and details the events of D-Day before the beach is cleaned up. In order to communicate the scene before him, Pyle uses a cataloging of images, irony, and imagery. Pyle seeks to write a lasting remembrance of the sacrifice of the soldiers on that beach. In remembering the soldiers, Pyle is cognizant of the interest his audience will have, an audience of Americans, family member, friends, and loved ones. Pyle uses symbolism and repetition to organize his article. Like when he says he spotted jelly-fish with the design that looks like a four-leaf clover. Which is ironic because there are good luck emblems on the

He discusses all of the items left behind by the deceased soldiers, such as jeeps, boats, typewriters, and filing cabinets. Then he moves back to the human element with life vests and rafts. Then finally he moves on to the human litter as in cigarettes and family photos. All the inanimate objects that use to mean everything to people now are just debris and destruction on Normandy Beaches shore. He goes in depth about some of the scenery around him on the beach, like the bloody abandoned shoes, broken-handled shovel, and smashed radios. Pyle chose this organization for his article because the audience needed to be eased into the picture of death and destruction. Pyles builds ethos by showing himself to be sensitive to needs of the audience because he has to be gentle for the people of loved ones that’ll read his article with tears in their eyes. Pyles also uses examples of pathos in his article. He shares the sacrifices of all the soldiers he is seeing upon the beach shore, all while honoring them. Ernie Pyle is currently in shock as he was walking down the beach but he's still trying to see the good in this terrible situation. Pyle describes a bible that he picked up that belonged to a soldier and then put it back down. He respected the soldier and the soldier's family that it just didn't feel right to keep the