Rhetorical Analysis Of I Am Not The Wise Old Fish

Wallace applies many rhetorical devices of persuasion to make his points sound convincing and his past experiences allows him to appeal to ethos, which highlights the speaker’s credibility. In the beginning of paragraph 2, Wallace tells his audience that “if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise, older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be. I am not the wise old fish.” By admitting that he is “not the wise old fish”, Wallace establishes his credibility in two distinct ways. First, he demonstrates that he knows what he is talking about and secondly, Wallace moderates his audience by not pretending to be someone that he is not. Another way how Wallace uses ethos effectively is stating that