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Rhetorical Techniques In The Things They Carried

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The Truth Exposed Abandonment of ignorance is insight to the truths one was once unable to recognize. Rhetorical strategies are modes of discourse capable of unveiling these truths when constructed properly. They are meant to be analyzed with an open mind and the intent to discover the author’s purpose. The following pieces are two completely different stories that were written by two completely different people, yet carry the same purpose. Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, and Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal use variant rhetorical devices in order to achieve a common purpose of being able to depict truth to their reader. O'Brien is able to illustrate truth about the war to his readers through the use of cleverly crafted syntax and …show more content…

He uses this rhetorical device to inform his reader that there are many aspects of war that may have been known to exist individually, however, he emphasizes that the key to understanding all war stories is to first understand that each of the attributes listed, among many more, co-exist. He tells the reader that war in not simple, nor is there one word to describe it. By keeping his sentences and phrases succinct, O'Brien leaves little room for interpretation by the reader and therefore, more room for understanding of what he is truly attempting to emanate. Through variant diction such as "fun," "pity," and "terror," along with the lack of any superfluous components, O'Brien allows himself to not only keep his sentences small, but also delineate the differentiation among the many aspects of war. He uses simple diction to keep the reader from exerting too much focus on any one description because, again, his words are not meant to be examined individually, but rather as a whole. Due to O'Brien's simplistic diction and relatively telegraphic syntax, he is able to impart on the reader the truth of events that occur throughout war along with the vast emotional burdens that correlate with each one. A Modest Proposal portrays the truth that exists surrounding the problem of poverty in the streets of Ireland by use of satire and diction. Swift constructs an argument that will solve many economic problems, reduce the amount of families victim to poverty, and most prominently, decrease the number of street children who grow up to be nothing more than a burden to both their parents and

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