Rhetorical Analysis Of I Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Read

One common technique used numerous times throughout the essay I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read is the rhetorical question, a strategy that uses questions with implied answers that the reader must determine by an author’s purpose and tone. When Prose uses rhetorical questions, she writes them after suggesting the solutions earlier in the essay, using the questions as a sort of conclusion. After an analysis that books such as Huckleberry Finn are only being studied in school for their racist aspects instead of their true meanings, Prose asks a series of rhetorical questions in paragraph 39, beginning with the following: “But why not tell the students that [books on current reading lists are works of art], instead of suggesting that Mark Twain be posthumorously reprimanded?” She then gives her opinions on what parts of the book should be discussed in the classroom in the form of questions asking ‘why not?’ Prose chose to use this method because it makes the audience
With the use of examples from personal as well as her friends’ and family’s experiences, her argument is considered more credible and trustworthy. In paragraph 30, Prose describes her experience being taught how to deeply analyze the meaning of a Shakespeare play, and how she loved it after being able to deeply understand it. This gives the audience a different perspective, one of a student who received the education Prose argues for. This consequently supports her proposal that the reason english class has become such a useless chore to students is as a result of the straightforward and fruitless examinations of literature. Along with the narration of her and her friend’s children’s experiences, found in paragraphs 5 and 23, the audience may relate to the description of a poorly taught english class that uses unoriginal reading choices or cursory lesson plans, which in turn inspires them to invoke change in the education