Becoming Adolf Analysis
CRJ 2 “Becoming Adolf”
1) [1/2 of a page] Robert Root is an acclaimed writer and professor of creative nonfiction. In his book The Nonfictionist’s Guide, he defines the creative-nonfiction motive as a “need to know or understand a specific, limited topic.” Considering that definition, locate and analyze one passage that exposes Rich Cohen’s exigence to write. What conflict or question is Cohen trying to sort out or understand? And does he sort it out using a tone that seems to be more argumentative or more expository in nature? (When describing Cohen’s tone, consider the many adjectives you can use to describe it—not just “argumentative” or “expository.”)“The fact is, my interest in the Hitler mustache never started and never ends. It is always. If you’re a Jew, the Hitler mustache exists in the eternal present…I wanted to defuse it. I wanted to own it. I wanted to reclaim it for America and for the Jews. My name is Rich Cohen, and I wear a Hitler mustache” (Cohen 15). | | 2) [1/2 of a page] Locate a passage that reaches into the universal by presenting a dichotomous idea. What dichotomous idea is presented, and how does Cohen use the arrangement of details/ideas here to reach and present that dichotomous idea? “The presence of Chaplin's 'stache …show more content…
In your analysis, explain which figure is being used and what it does for the text in terms of its effect on the reader. Which one of the three appeals does it seem to be building?“So people do with little Hitlers what people always do with lunatics in New York, the harmless or dangerous—they ignore, they avert, they move away. If you want to fly coach without being hassled, grow a Toothbrush mustache. I wore the mustache for about a week. It preceded me into stores and hung in the air after I exited. It sat on my face as I slept” (Cohen 21). |
1) [1/2 of a page] Robert Root is an acclaimed writer and professor of creative nonfiction. In his book The Nonfictionist’s Guide, he defines the creative-nonfiction motive as a “need to know or understand a specific, limited topic.” Considering that definition, locate and analyze one passage that exposes Rich Cohen’s exigence to write. What conflict or question is Cohen trying to sort out or understand? And does he sort it out using a tone that seems to be more argumentative or more expository in nature? (When describing Cohen’s tone, consider the many adjectives you can use to describe it—not just “argumentative” or “expository.”)“The fact is, my interest in the Hitler mustache never started and never ends. It is always. If you’re a Jew, the Hitler mustache exists in the eternal present…I wanted to defuse it. I wanted to own it. I wanted to reclaim it for America and for the Jews. My name is Rich Cohen, and I wear a Hitler mustache” (Cohen 15). | | 2) [1/2 of a page] Locate a passage that reaches into the universal by presenting a dichotomous idea. What dichotomous idea is presented, and how does Cohen use the arrangement of details/ideas here to reach and present that dichotomous idea? “The presence of Chaplin's 'stache …show more content…
In your analysis, explain which figure is being used and what it does for the text in terms of its effect on the reader. Which one of the three appeals does it seem to be building?“So people do with little Hitlers what people always do with lunatics in New York, the harmless or dangerous—they ignore, they avert, they move away. If you want to fly coach without being hassled, grow a Toothbrush mustache. I wore the mustache for about a week. It preceded me into stores and hung in the air after I exited. It sat on my face as I slept” (Cohen 21). |