Rhetoric Situations
The location in “To Love the Marigold” written by Susan Griffin, was in Paris and was in the new and modern day. The Location in “Despair is a Lie We Tell Ourselves,” written by Tony Kushner was in Chicago post 911. The intended audience for both texts was basically everyone. Specifically, Kushner’s audience led more towards those in the United States with more developed societies, where Griffin’s was more directed to a broad audience who were seeking self-help.
The tone for Griffin’s text was calm and influential, she wanted the audience to know that new meanings can be revealed, and that there is positive in anything. Hope lies less in the direction of grand theories than in the capacity to see, to look past old theories that may obscure understanding and even promise (Griffin, 136). One example that I enjoyed from the text is when she talks about her friend Odet, and an experience that she had while in a concentration camp. She goes to explain the prisoners and how even a terrifying and awful moment, can be turned into a positive and happy one. The palms that were read allowed can change the moods of anyone, even the prisoners and guards. She said that the guards mood changed and were so disoriented that they were didn’t go through with the executions (Griffin, 137).
The tone for Kushner’s text was at times demanding, hopeful, and sorrowful, but it all just depends on perspective. I loved how he said; “With all of us working where we see work to be done, the world will change (Kushner, 170).” It’s true how not just one-person can save the world, but it takes a group effort, working together, and fixing things that we see needs to be changed. The functions of both of these texts are to inspire and motivate the audience. I feel like they are both giving examples of hard times that they have seen throughout their lives, but then find a positive meaning in them.
The relationships established with the audience in both texts are similar as well. They both talked about changing the public, and making it a better place for everyone. In Griffin’s text, she does a great job at bringing the reader in to what she is seeing by using lots of imagery. She wants the audience to feel as if they were in that exact moment having the same experiences. One example would be when it read; “In his mind, he simply stepped outside the world as it was created by the SS” (Griffin, 137). Knowing a little about the life in a concentration camp, Griffin described it perfectly. Being about to step outside of the world that was created was in my mind easy to picture.
Griffin also talked a lot about how imagination, perception and meditation are so important, especially in today’s society. Perception is not simply a reflection of reality but a powerful element of reality (Griffin, 139). Her persona and image in the text seemed very caring and wanted to somewhat “help” the world. Keshner also seemed that way, but specifically believed that we can’t all do it alone, rather with everyone. I almost felt like Keshner’s persona was somewhat sarcastic, because he said; “When the supernova comes to get us we shouldn’t be disappointed in ourselves, we should hope to be able to say proudly to the supernova, that angel of death, “Hello supernova we have been expecting you, we know all about you, everyone, everywhere has been expecting you, except Texas” (Keshner, 71). This shows sarcasm because he is talking to a supernova that is not something humans can communicate with. I also found it funny how he mentioned everyone, everywhere except Texas; therefore he might have something against that state.