Analyzing Rhetorical Techniques

Running head: ANALYZING RHETORICAL TECHNIQUES
ANALYZING RHETORICAL TECHNIQUES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ANALYZING RHETORICAL TECHNIQUES
The study focuses towards developing better understanding of the literary work “Emails
from Scheherazad” written by Mohja Kahf. The literarywork focuses on promoting the message
of humanity beyond ethnicity and religion. The tone uses aspects of pain, belonging, lament and
self-discovery. The rhetorical techniques that are used in “Emails from Scheherazad” and the
aspects that form essential parts of the narrative are discussed.
The title “E-mails from Scheherazad” signifies that the literary work, which is a
continuous flow of poems and proses is provided in the form of emails that describe the sender’s
search for self-identity in a hostile foreign environment. The opening phrase of the work create
the impression that the email is being sent to the beloved of Scheherazad. The first impression is
that Scheherazad is about to reveal her views of the world to her lover. The plot revolves around
the life of an Arab American woman. The collection of stories continuously refers to religion,
self-identity, culture clashes and the viewpoint of a woman. The “Hijab Scene #1” has a quote
“you dress strange” this is exactly from where the significant theme is established. The theme
takes the course of the conflict that exist between the culturally different homeland and the plight
of the ‘other’.
There are various important statements that are made throughout the rest of the work. For
example, one statement points to the grandmother of the writer just knowing one culture, “the
right one”. This statement proves that the writer is focused towards proving that her culture is
right in its own way. The author tries to bring forward the notion that cultures might differ but
are based on the same contexts of human wellbeing. The punctuations are used in effective ways.
The quote marks are used to emphasize on certain essential parts of a sentence. This helps to
bring forward the deeper meanings that can be derived from that sentence. Images are being used
definitely to create a picture on the reader’s mind. The image of Palestinian and Israeli fighters,