Rhetorical Analysis Essay: An Analysis of Coates' Letter

This essay provides a rhetorical analysis of an extract from Ta-Nehisi Coates' book, "Between the World and Me," focusing on a letter from a father to his son. The analysis explores the rhetorical strategies employed by Coates to address themes of racial discrimination, police brutality, and the African American experience in the United States. The essay examines the author's use of narrative, personal anecdotes, and emotional appeals to convey his message and warn his son about the realities of being black in America. It also discusses the societal context, the role of media, and the impact of these experiences on the author's perspective, highlighting the negative impact of discrimination. The essay references the importance of hope and the need for the son to navigate these challenges with caution and awareness, encouraging him to protest with logical concepts. The analysis also includes the references used in the essay.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Table of Contents
Rhetorical analysis...........................................................................................................................1
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REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

Rhetorical analysis
Letter to my son is an extracts belongs to the book Between the world and me. This
extract states life experience of a father who shares his whole life story with its son with medium
of letter. In this, writer represent all of its experiences that in a narrative manner (Foss, 2017).
The extract mainly emphasize on the major issue of America that is discrimination among black
and white. It includes some incident which were faced by writer during his childhood.
According to the present scenario, the setting was of remote studio situated on Far West
Side of Manhattan and the discussion was on the topic which writer wrote earlier that week. In
this meeting various topics were discussed which enlightened thought of authors that appeal
him in giving a second thought about the subject of his body whether they were really
discriminated or they lose hope during that situation. Therefore, it states the mentality of people
because what they see they tend to believe the same. Thus, during that period if some kind of
sympathy was shown than scenario could have been different and humanity would have been
there.
The passage written by Coates was basically a description of incidents related to injustice
faced by African American such as blocks airways, dislodges brains, rip muscles, break teeth
etc., United States has always linked with activities like abusing bodies especially with black
ones. Whether it is related to slavery or brutality done by policemen. Therefore, nature and
behaviour of people are affected because of such incidents. According to the Coates point of
view, he seems to believe that because black people have more violent tendencies which is not
true they didn’t get appropriate job in a white environment. Here, media and other sources that
are connected with people plays a great role as media can act as a positive or negative as they
can create a barricade between what people is saying and what they actually want to say
(Winton, 2013). Therefore, use of words also plays a crucial role for example: writer has
explained all the incidents in a negative connotation according to his point of view which can be
somewhat true for some instances but “hope” was the biggest factor which would have lifted
blacks or given them some motivation in order to come-up with situations. A quote can be taken
so as to justify these statements “picture of a 12-year-old black boy tearfully hugging a white
police officer. Then she asked me about ‘hope’.”
It has been described that police(Whites) of America were directly killing blacks for
their mistakes. They don't gave any chance even to explain their actual situations. For instance
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Eric Garner was killed because of selling cigarette, the criminal didn't any chance to leave this
wrong work. Through this incident, writer actually wants to warn his son to not get indulged in
any illegal activity in America. As being a black it is his own responsibility to protect his own
body. The whole incident was presented in narrative manner describing about the incidence
happened with black people.
It further describes that black bodies were treated as a wasteful object with view point of
police. There job responsibility was brutal for black in America as it became dream culture of
Whites to criticise every black whether they are wrong or not (Bullough Jr, VBiber and Conrad,
2014). According to the writer, as per his life experience all police were not evil but
unfortunately their mentality has been developed in wrong manner which states if any thing
happens wrong with them or in the country faulty person is always a black. They do not even
miss single chance to punish and arrest blacks for misshapen and in some situation they even kill
blacks in the name of criminal as they are not accountable for shooting black. Writer represents
whole scenario in blaming manner as his personal observance about white police was not good.
Mainly it states negative thought of writer towards its country and its white police who have
formulated their thought that illegal activities are only performed by black and if any same thing
done by white then they are ignored and instead of them any other black is being arrested in
order to show they are working effectively.
The discrimination between black and white has not been declined. In the name of
colours people lived in America have actually forgotten about basic ethics and values of
humanity (Bhatia, 2014). Through expression of letter, state of mind of the writer represents its
confusion about whole scenario of black and white that whether whole things will change or not.
The discrimination scenario has also developed fear among the people about their colour
complexion as their life is in danger. Its quite negative for people as they are being tortured,
murdered, beaten, punished only because of some darker pigments which are present in their
body. This colour discrimination has negatively influenced overall humanity which has
decreased feeling of care and love of one people towards other one.
Along with this, the extract also shares care of father toward his son who is still so young
to understand actuality of America and their discrimination which are based on colour
complexion of people. It describes also to son that in what way whites abuse black bodies in their
native country so that he will remain alert in future in order to secure his life. In hidden manner
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writer also prepare his son for future which will guide in future to protest against wrong things
but only by using logical concept that will secure his life (Tite, 2012). Another intension of the
letter to was to advise the son to become a gentleman in future which be helpful in making his
surrounding and known people free from the thought of biasness in terms of colour complexion.
In all, according to the passage blacks were facing difficulties in living their lives as they have to
deal with various circumstances like for earning they had to struggle a lot.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Foss, S. K., 2017. Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice. Waveland Press.
Winton, S., 2013. Rhetorical analysis in critical policy research. International Journal of
Qualitative Studies in Education. 26(2). pp.158-177.
Bullough Jr, R. V., 2014. Toward reconstructing the narrative of teacher education: A rhetorical
analysis of preparing teachers. Journal of Teacher Education. 65(3). pp.185-194.
Biber, D. and Conrad, S., 2014. Variation in English: Multi-dimensional studies. Routledge.
Bhatia, V. K., 2014. Analysing genre: Language use in professional settings. Routledge.
Tite, P. L., 2012. The apocryphal epistle to the Laodiceans: an epistolary and rhetorical
analysis. Brill.
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