The Fine Art of Sighing by Bernard Cooper - Essay Example

The fine Art of Sighing by Bernard Cooper
Speaker: A young person living with his parents is the speaker in this speech. It seems that this person grew up with his parents and he has been observing their character when they are either happy or sad. The speaker is making these points because he wants to share his observations with the readers. People often sigh at different occasions as a way of expressing their mental state as well as attitude towards a certain situation. There is no bias in this piece of work. The speaker states that sighing is a “reflex and a legacy” which entails that it is natural.
Occasion: The occasion pertains two parents who are deeply immersed in different thoughts at home. The author wants to show that people sigh as a sign of relief or sorrow. He states that he heard his father’s sighs in his own and a sign of relief while his mothers sighs depicted “restlessness.” After observing his own parents, the speaker is convinced that under whatever condition, people sigh for different reasons. In other words, he wants to share his opinion with the readers. He thinks that in one way or the other, everyone sighs for different reasons.
Audience: Any person who cares to read this article is the targeted audience. The piece of writing is directed to both young and old readers. The audiences in this particular piece include different people: both young and old, both males and females as well as diverse people from different professions. To a certain extent, the author uses unusual words. He says “every time a girdle is removed, a foot is submerged in warm water…” This may be difficult to discern the meaning of this statement. The speaker evokes the supernatural world. He states that “my ancestors lungs are pumping like bellows”.
Purpose: The speaker wants to convince the reader that sighing is an indispensable method of expressing yourself. It is a method of communication that shows whether a person is happy or sad. The speaker uses imagery to support his claim. He speaks of the imagined “Bridge of Sighs” implying that in whatever misfortune that befalls a person, he first sighs. He argues from the perspective that sighing is a reflex action and it occurs naturally to every person. The speaker is saddened by sighs of sorrow. The speaker is trying to evoke both good and sad emotions among the readers since sighs are used for both situations.
Structure: The speaker structures his argument in a descriptive manner where he starts by describing his personal observations about two close people to him. These are his parents. He goes on to expand his argument by incorporating what others think about him as well as the general perception of different people about the subject of sighing. This structure is ideal for the argument because it shows that the speaker has done some research about the subject before writing the final paper. His arguments are presented in a clear and concise manner such that the readers can easily follow what he is trying to say.
Tone: The tone of the speaker is both a sign of melancholy and satire. From her mother’s sighs, the speaker states that she would be wishing she was happy or better off than what she is. From his own perspective, the speaker is not burdened by sighing since he states that it’s a reflex and legacy. According to the tone of the speaker, he is simply trying to portray that sighing is natural and it is an integral part of our lives. In some cases, we sigh intentionally or unintentionally depending on the situation before us. This may be good or bad.
Assumptions: The only bias portrayed by the speaker is when he states that the greatest sighs of sorrow are from widows and widowers. He states that: “The sighs of the widows and widowers alone must account for a significant portion of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.” This implies that whenever this group releases sighs, they are of sorrow. However, in real life, it may not hold that all widowers and widows are leading a sorrowful life. Some are happily living in different places. Sighs are also not used in different situations by different people and this is quite natural. Read More