Hiroshima Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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Mrs. Davis AP Language and Composition-1 28 September 2007 John Hersey’s Hiroshima Despite the emotional plot of Hiroshima, written by John Hersey, the story itself holds more than meets the eye. There are those who would say that Hiroshima was simply just a story to educate young people on the bombings that occurred in Japan, 1945. On the other hand, there is a stronger argument that the story had more meaning than just a plot. Woven into Hiroshima were rhetorical devices such as irony and alliteration which enhanced the story by giving readers a sense of pathos. Irony was best expressed in Hiroshima which instilled a sense question within the reader’s mind. Irony was best expressed in many ways throughout the story. One prime…show more content…
The rhetorical device of alliteration is used throughout the story to help achieve a plethora of moods. Alliteration can be used to help the story set the mood of sympathy. “He noticed in some of his patients a curious syndrome of symptoms that cropped out in the third and fourth weeks” (71) has the “s” sound, which evokes the feelings of pain, suffering, and death. The “s” sound has a softer tone which enables readers to feel more sympathetic towards the injured people in Hiroshima without the reader even realizing it. A hard sound such as “t” “b” gives the situation more of harsh tone such as “the neighbors were walking around burning and bleeding” (90). This doesn’t give the soft tone of sympathy but a harsh tone of death. Hersey likes to use alliteration to evoke a feeling into the reader’s mind of pathos, more if he or she had just read the story. Alliteration offers the chance of more feelings and emotions to readers throughout the story. John Hersey’s Hiroshima is not only a detailed account of the Americans bombing Japan in 1945, but he inserts rhetorical devices that encourage readers to feel pathos while reading. Ironic occurrences make readers think about the paradoxes that occurred. Alliteration added soft and hard moods to situations, which allowed the ambiance of the story to take

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