Rhetorical and Literary Analysis of Consider the Lobsters

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Section: 1

a. Definition

A definition is a statement or term provided by someone explaining the meaning of the word. Meaning could be explained in different ways such as scientifically, literal, etc.

b. Hyperbole

It is a rhetorical device mostly used by writers to turn a basic statement into its extreme level. Authors may use this device to put stress on a term.

c. Anecdote

An anecdote is used to show brief stories or incidences added in between readings related to some topics which are usually added to grabs the attention of readers.

d. Analogy

An analogy is used to determine the relationship between two concepts by comparing it with each other.

e. Personification

Personification is used to represent human nature such as anger, happiness or human features to any non-human to express their feelings.

f. Process analysis

Process analysis is used to give instructions to do something or to clarify something in different steps or procedures.

g. Contrast

Contrast is a rhetorical strategy which is used by writers to emphasize the difference between two objects or things.

h. Description

A description is providing details about some aspects and which helps in explaining characters or features of something.

i. Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is used to represents the sounds in words which helps in expressing the situation in the mind. Words such as Boom, Click, Bang, etc.

j. Irony

The irony is a statement used in literature that means opposite or different words from what is written. It may be defined as expressing a thing with another meaning.

k. Oxymoron

Oxymoron is a combination of two different words

Section: 2

Part 1

Strategy: Analogy – Wallace uses the strategy of analogy when he compares the Maine Lobster Festival to a Nebraska Beef Festival. He writes: “Try to imagine a Nebraska Beef Festival14 at which part of the festivities is watching trucks pull up and the live cattle get driven down the ramp and slaughtered right there on the World’s Largest Killing Floor or something—there’s no way.”

In this example, Wallace tries to make people feel bad about killing lobsters by attracting people’s minds to think about the killing of cows is the same as the killing of lobsters, as people feel much bad about killing cows. I think that he wats to expressions that there is no difference between the killing of cattle and killing of lobster. More importantly, he added some powerful words like “slaughtered”, “World’s Largest Killing Floor” which highlight a great impression on people and make people think about they are killing lobsters like humans.

I think that the argument made by Wallace is very effective as he tries to create an image of lobster as a cow, the pain suffers a cow is the same as the lobster suffers. He also tries to change the mind of people of killing the lobster which I think helps his argument more convincing.

Part 2

Strategy: Personification – Wallace uses the strategy of personification to express the massive pain of lobster feels while cooking. “The lobster, in other words, behaves very much as you or I would behave if we were plunged into boiling water (with the obvious exception of screaming).15 A blunter way to say this is that the lobster acts as if it’s in terrible pain, causing some cooks to leave the kitchen altogether and to take one of those little lightweight plastic oven timers with them into another room and wait until the whole process is over”. He explains what a human would feel in the same situation.

By providing this Wallace wants to explain that lobsters or other nonhuman creatures cannot communicate or express their feeling to us, but they can feel pain. Wallace makes people imagine that if they or he would be in boiling water what could be us behave or how we will feel. He explains that they cannot interpret their terrible pain, caused by boiling them and killing them. He mentions that the lobster would leave the kitchen with the oven timers and wait in another room until the process is over to express their awful pain in the boiling process.

Wallace tries to gain the sympathy of readers, by proving the situations like having we in the place of lobsters while boiling. He makes people feel what would a lobster feels in the kettle while boiling which makes his argument more effective and very convincing.

Part 3

Strategy: Description – The strategy used by Wallace to make a vivid image of lobster in the past is description. “Up until sometime in the 1800s, though, lobster was low-class food, eaten only by the poor and institutionalized” (Wallace, 2). He describes that before; the lobsters were not up to the standard to eat.

The information provided by Wallace explains the different viewpoints of people about lobsters in the past (the 1800s) and today. He demonstrates that prior, it was counted in low-class food which was only eaten by poor people. It also shows that the writer has some powerful research about lobsters, and which helps him to attract his readers toward his aspect.

I think that he is providing details about the lobster to his audience and try to create an image in their mind. He is providing all that information because to make sure that the readers have enough background information about lobsters which makes his argument more effective and easier to understand.

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