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
he gives various scenarios and uses rhetorical devices to describe how they are different. One key rhetoric that Barry associates with this story is his use of perspective. Looking at the rhetorical devices list that is provided by Professor Hung Truong of Victor Valley College, “A perspective is a character’s view of the situation or events in the story” (par. 1). In Barry’s story, he says “Men tend to attach great significance to Manhood. This results in certain characteristically masculine, by which I mean stupid, behavioral patterns that can create unfortunate results such as violent crime, war, spitting, and ice hockey (405). Barry is using his perspective to tell the reader that men can end up doing idiotic things in order to secure their masculinity. There are many stereotypes in today’s world, and Barry uses a stereotype to assist him in his message. “There is a serious questionin my mind about whether guys actually have deep inner-most feelings, unless you count, for example, loyalty to the Detroit Tigers, or fear of bridal showers” (406). It is a common stereotype that men do not usually want to attend events such as bridal showers, baby showers, and so on; however, some men participate in these events because they want to be helpful. Barry is most likely using this stereotype in his passage because stereotypes are well-known in the world, and using this stereotype can possibly influence the reader. Another type of a rhetoric device is an anecdote, and towards the middle of his writing, Barry uses a rather funny and sad anecdote to illustrate a guy’s need to fulfill something that is usually irrelevant. He heard his friends talk about how fast they can run a forty-yard dash, and he decides to attempt to beat his co-worker’s time, but unfortunately for Barry, his hamstring muscle popped (408-409). However, even after being helped off the field by his buds, Barry gets a sympathetic call from a co-worker named Tom, and the last words by Tom were “Just remember, you did not beat my time” (409). This rhetorical device works because even though that Tom called Barry to make sure he was okay, Tom needed to show that he was still the top dog event though it does not have any real benefit to him. Finally,combining Barry’s perspective and using his anecdote regarding the male competition, he is able to convince readers to believe his rhetoric because he is detailing his opinion from a man’s perspective; and typically, it takes a man to know a man.
Unlike in Barry’s story where he compares men to guys, “Reptile Dreams” written by Keith Bradsher, talks about a man named Clotaire Rapaille, who is used by automakers to design cars that are appealing to Americans (mainly men), and Bradsher uses a variety of rhetoric devices in the story.
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
perspective from the women’s side can easily persuade a female reader not to buy a convertible because rape is a terrifying thought for any woman.
When comparing both Barry and Bradsher about their writings, they use some similar types of rhetoric for their message. However, Barry’s rhetoric focuses more on anecdotes and stereotypes while Bradsher’s rhetoric focuses on analogies and perspectives. Barry’s stories give insight to what a typical guy would do in various situations, and he uses a couple of stereotypes to prove further his point with the example, “Whether guys actually have deep inner-most feelings” because it is typical for a guy not to have deep inner feelings (406). Rapaille’sanalogy “reptilian” in Bradsher’s passage is the central idea, and it is emphasized by not only Rapaille’s perspective but the car companies’ as well. With the help of Rapaille’s findings with the reptilian comparison, car companies used his data to expand their sales to a wider audience and make bigger profits.
Rhetoric devices are used in stories to highlight the main point that a writer is trying to tell. Both Barry and Bradsher used a number of rhetoric devices throughout their papers to deliver a message to the reader in hopes that he/she will learn from the text. Rhetoric devices not only benefit these two writers, but they can also help anyone who is willing to make a statement or a powerful message to change a way the world works.