Rhetorical Analysis Of Division Street By Rebecca Solnit

Myles Bunt Mrs. Hostetler English Composition I 29 October 2024 Activist and essayist Rebecca Solnit grew up in San Francisco and graduated from San Francisco State University in 1981 and the University of California, Berkeley in 1984 with degrees in English, literature, and journalism. She wrote her essay, “Division Street,” to analyze the problem of homelessness in San Francisco. She combines compare/contrast, description, and narration genres in order to help the reader understand the problem of homelessness. Even though Solnit never explicitly identified or explained a solution to the problem, she still recognized the government and some of San Francisco’s local laws as causes of homelessness and the problems that arise because of it. Solnit creates an effective argument by
Solnit claimed that you are probably living a good life, where you can freely leave and return to a private and protected home, where you can leave to go to work, or leave to go to another pleasurable place (429). Right from the start, Solnit claims a majority of people are her audience. Solnit’s purpose in writing the essay is to have more people read and think about homelessness. She then gives background information, which helps the reader understand the context and subject of the essay. She claimed that about 2.2 million people are prisoners and half a million people are homeless, all of which are regarded as disposable (429). These numbers give the reader an idea of what she is going to discuss and develop logical and pathetic appeals. It gives a reason to discuss homelessness and can show the reader that the problem is bigger than they may have thought. The background information at the beginning of Solnit’s essay immediately creates a rhetorical situation and begins developing persuasive appeals. Solnit mainly uses strong examples of ethos and pathos effectively throughout the rest of the essay, she also uses some