REHUGO Analysis - Reading

Christy Brown
Soeth
Ap English 3
January 26, 2011

REHUGO Analysis - Reading

A. “In Search of the Good Family” By: Jane Howard

B. Argument, position, and thesis:

· Argument: A family is not just those of blood relation; it is a person or group of people that are affectionate, hospitable, and can connect with one another on a much more deeper level than others around them.

· Position: The author states her position by citing her authority, through reference to known people, statistics, and anecdotes.

· Thesis: “Even if you live alone, even if your solitude is elected and ebullient, you still cannot do without a clan or tribe.”

C. Evidence:

· Pathos: “'If you're voluntarily childless and alone,' said the other Helen, who was from Pennsylvania by way of Puerto Rico, 'it gets harder and harder with the passage of time. Its stressful. That's why you need support systems.'” The author evokes your emotions and draws a mental picture that shows the outcome of an alone child who is in need of help.

· Ethos: The author presents and establishes her ethos through her use of anecdotes. By her sharing of past experiences, she is showing that she has gone through these things and is a liable, credible source.

D. Rhetorical Strategies:

· Hyperbole: “In emergencies we rush across continents and if need be oceans to their sides, as they do ours.” This exaggeration helps support Howard's thesis and shows that a family, clan, tribe, or network is someone who has your back no matter what the circumstance is.

· Comparison: “If blood and roots don't do the job then we must look to water and branches, and sort ourselves into new constellations, new families” The author compares blood, roots, water, and branches, and constellations to a family. If your family, connected by blood and roots, is not fulfilling the expectations of a "good family," you must look to others close to you for comfort, care, and affection.

Metaphor: "Wishing to be friends, as Aristotle wrote, is quick work, but friendship is a slowly ripening fruit." This metaphor, connecting friendship to a slowly ripening fruit, helps make the idea more clear that friendship is an attribute that doesn't come quickly and is enhanced only by time.

Works Cited:
Shea, Renee Hausmann., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin. Aufses. The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing and Rhetoric. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. Print.