Rhetorical Analysis Assignment - Essay Example

Poissant has had an extensive career as an author whereby he has written several publications in The Atlantic, One Story, New Stories from the South among others. In addition, he has also authored a book titled The Heaven of Animals, which is a collection of short stories, and set for publication in 2014. After a number of publications, he found himself contemplating on how one can be friends with Republicans. This essay explores the elements of subject, thesis, purpose, audience, persona, ethos, authoritative testimony, and analogy in Poissant’s persuasive and compelling piece of writing.

The subject of the essay is how one can interact and make friends with Republicans without being judgmental, but at the same time also airing your political opinion about certain things. The author thinks that it is possible to make friends with Republicans because they are just normal people in the society. He gives example of individuals whose daughters go to the same school with his daughters, and that they are not issues or votes, but just people. Yes, he agrees it is challenging to be friends with the Republicans, but it can work.

He gives several examples to relate to his thesis that it is possible to be friends with Republicans because they are just ordinary people, but this should not restrict one from airing his political views. In this essay, Poissant presents several purpose, which is to inform, persuade, and engage his audience. He starts the article with an interesting opening that immediately engages the audience, he says, “The trouble started the night Jeff, one of the guys I drink and talk about God with, announced that he’d been summoned to court for the Zimmerman trial jury pool”.

With this, the audience immediately registers that there is an issue here in the form of a conflict. Next, he informs the audience contrary to people’s perspective, there can be an interaction and a relationship between republicans and democrats. However, he asserts that this works better when the friendship stays away from politics and discusses other matters such as God related subjects. Nevertheless, the author also informs his audience that it would be better if such relationship were allowed to flourish, while also giving room for personal political opinions on certain issues.

He says, “I want to be friends with Republicans, but I don’t want to be friends with Republicans if I don’t also get to talk about why I think food stamps and socialized medicine are good ideas” in addition, the author informs the audience that republicans are ordinary human beings, and thus, it is possible to be friends with them. Finally, he informs the audience that people who act in the way they do, it is because of what they are taught that they develop. Finally, the author persuades the audience to listen to his subject by telling them that being friend with Republicans is not such a bad thing.

However, he seeks to move them to be cautious of the things involved in being friends with Republicans such as limited political opinions, and that it would not be easier since it calls for compromise from both parties for things to be better. The author hopes to pass his message to The New York Times readers composed of audience of several kinds. He wishes that this article were read by