Rhetorical Analysis: Guys Vs. Men

Rhetorical strategies are a great way for someone to convey a message that can have deep meaning and influence a way someone thinks. Whether it is someone who uses a simile in a poem, or someone just making a simple analogy between his/her friend and an object, there is usually some kind of effect that occurs once the rhetoric is used. In the book “The Presence of Others” by Andrea Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz, two stories talk about things and ideas that appeal to guys. Dave Barry wrote the story “Guys vs. Men” and Keith Bradsher wrote “Reptile Dreams,” and they used rhetorical strategies throughout their stories to help push their point across to the reader.
In the story “Guys vs. Men”, Barry talks about how guys are unique from men, and
In the beginning, Bradsher uses an anecdote to describe how Rapaille was influenced to move to the United States where he eventually conducts studies on why Americans associate themselves with dangerous things. In the anecdote, Rapaille recalls how an Americantank pushed German forces away from his home, and a soldier gave him chocolates and a ride on the tank (472). After experiencing that scenario, Rapaille was instantly intrigued by America and wanted to move the United States. The anecdote helps show that if a kid experiences a life-changing event, it can affect how children want to be in a particular place for their home or get involved with a certain career. Another critical rhetoric that Bradsher uses in his passage is an analogy comparing humans to reptiles based on survival and reproduction, which Rapaille calls it the reptilian (472). Humans already know that various reptiles rely on instinct for survival, such as snakes with their quick speed to strike. Rapaille uses the reptilian effect to analyze how Americans view individual cars to make them feel safe, and at the same time, be a force to be reckoned with. Rapaille says “They want to give the message, ‘I want to be able to destroy, I want to be able to fight back, do not mess with me’” (473). The message conveys to the reader that teenagers want to be intimidating so that way small cars are not likely to crash with SUVs, and the auto manufacturers use that to increase their sales on SUVs because they are seen as a monster on the road that can destroy a car if involved in a crash. Lastly, Rapaille had women who told him that “If you drive a convertible with the top down, the message is ‘Rape me’” (476).This